Lead

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin has accused Western nations of disregarding the sovereignty of Central Asian countries by pressuring them to join anti-Russian sanctions and seek intelligence on Russia. In an interview with TASS during a conference in Termez, Uzbekistan, Galuzin also highlighted expanding economic ties between Russia and Uzbekistan, citing billions in trade and investment.

Coverage Comparison

The story, reported by TASS in two separate articles, covers two distinct but related themes. The first focuses on Uzbekistan's rejection of Western sanctions pressure and its choice to deepen cooperation with Moscow. The second addresses Galuzin's broader criticism of Western policy toward Central Asian states, particularly the efforts by the United States and the European Union to obtain data on Russia from regional partners. Both reports rely on direct quotes from the Russian deputy foreign minister.

TASS, Russia's state news agency, frames the statements positively with respect to Russia-Uzbekistan relations, emphasizing what Galuzin called the "balanced, mature and wise position" of Tashkent.

Key Claims

  • Uzbekistan is not joining anti-Russian sanctions and instead is developing cooperation with Moscow, as reported by TASS.
  • Galuzin said Western sanctions envoys are attempting to obtain data on Russia's trade statistics from Central Asian countries and to instruct them to follow sanctions pressure, which he described as a "complete disregard" for their sovereignty.
  • He alleged that the US and EU are pressuring Russia's Central Asian partners to join what Moscow considers "illegal" anti-Russian sanctions, with Europeans acting "no less zealously" than Americans.
  • Galuzin cited major joint projects, including construction of Uzbekistan's first nuclear power plant (with two large and two small units), a fourth copper processing plant at the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex, and supplies of Russian rolling stock for Uzbekistan's railways and metro.
  • He reported approximately 115 ongoing projects worth 2 trillion rubles 3 billion), trade turnover reaching 5 billion, and Russian investments in Uzbekistan's economy amounting to $13 billion.
These figures were provided by Galuzin and have not been independently verified by other sources in this coverage.