WP: Trump administration seeks Uzbekistan's help in deporting Russian and Belarusian nationals

The United States held discussions with Uzbekistan, offering to use the country as a transit point for the deportation of Russian and Belarusian nationals. This became particularly relevant after the suspension of direct flights between the two nations.

The Washington Post reports on these negotiations, detailing the efforts made by the Trump administration to utilise countries like Uzbekistan as logistical hubs for the deportation of third-country nationals.

According to documents from March, US officials tried to use Uzbekistan, a former Soviet state, as a transit point for deported Russian and Belarusian citizens. This was due to the suspension of direct flights to and from the US, following escalating tensions partly caused by the war in Ukraine.

In a document prepared by the US government, it is noted that the Uzbek official did not immediately reject the idea. An American official, acknowledging the potential political sensitivity of the situation, suggested specific "incentives" such as a high-level phone call between the two countries' leaders or other forms of interaction to close the deal.

The Uzbek Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

Last week, Uzbekistan accepted more than 100 deported individuals from the US, including Uzbeks, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The US State Department clarified that "no Russians or Belarusians were aboard" and that the citizens from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan "returned to their home countries."

Documents from May 6 morning revealed that US officials praised the Uzbek government for organising a special deportation flight, which, according to them, carried 19 Kazakh citizens and 20 Kyrgyz citizens. American officials remarked that the Uzbek government "aims to stay on our good side."

A US official mentioned in the documents that the US may need to "proceed carefully" in pressuring Uzbekistan for more active involvement, warning that involving more third-country nationals "could be too big a step" for the Uzbek government. The official also cautioned that such a program might be used by "our adversaries, especially China and Russia," to disrupt the "deepening bilateral partnership."

Earlier this year, the Trump administration urgently requested that Ukraine's government to accept an unspecified number of deported third-country nationals from the US. This was a desperate plea from a nation at war, heavily reliant on US military and financial support for its survival.

The documents do not specify how officials in Kyiv responded to the January proposal, which was delivered by a senior US diplomat. The suggestion involved sending third-country nationals to Ukraine amid Russia's deadly, destructive invasion, despite the absence of a functioning airport in the country due to ongoing airstrikes. A Ukrainian diplomat informed the US embassy that the government would provide a response once it formulated its position. Similar proposals were reportedly sent to several other countries around the same time.

Ukraine has not accepted third-country nationals from the US, and there is no indication that Kyiv seriously considered the American offer. Two Ukrainian officials familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss US administration interactions, stated that the issue never reached the highest levels of the government. One official mentioned being unaware of any "political demands" from the US regarding Ukraine's acceptance of deported individuals.

In a statement, the State Department emphasized that "consistent engagement with foreign governments" is "critical for deterring illegal and mass migration and ensuring the security of our borders." The agency referred questions about the Ukrainian proposal to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not respond to requests for comment.

By Tamilla Hasanova