Rubio tweets out of the flock of hot files...and Trump's aides take the lead

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While crises are crowded on Washington's table, from Iran and Yemen to Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Central Asia, on a tour that reflects his repeated departure from the forefront of the hottest issues, while President Donald Trump's aides are at the forefront of the most prominent negotiating tracks.

On Sunday, Rubio headed to Uzbekistan, where he was expected to arrive in Samarkand to meet with the leaders of the five Central Asian countries within the framework of the “C5+1” group, which brings together the United States, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, according to Reuters.

While the war with Iran is still a fire under the ashes, confrontations continue between the Yemeni forces and the Houthi militias, while a new rift in US-Ukrainian relations is widening.

Despite this, the minister is heading to an area located far from the centers of these crises, in a scene that has been repeated since he took office.

The irony is not limited to the timing of the Samarkand tour; Over the past period, Rubio has repeatedly headed to areas that do not make headlines. While other officials in the Trump administration handled some of the more complex files.

Since assuming the State Department, Rubio has not visited Kyiv or Moscow.

He was also absent from the talks that brought together American and Ukrainian officials in Florida this month, when the American side pressured Ukraine to stop bombing Russian refineries.

Regarding the Iranian file, Vice President J.D. Vance represented the United States in the talks hosted by Pakistan in April, seeking to end the war with Tehran, while the Secretary of State remained far from the forefront of that negotiating path.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio: The White House did not issue any orders to slow down the “Starlink” service or restrict its use in Ukraine.. Kiev requested access to “StarShield” to carry out deep attacks inside Russia, but it does not currently have it https://t.co/pafJXwY00a

Likewise, Rubio's previous tour, in early October, included Greece, Portugal, and Iceland, adding another example to diplomatic movements taking place far from the most prominent hotbeds of tension.

On the other hand, envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with Vance, emerged among the figures entrusted by Trump to manage sensitive foreign policy files.

This distribution revealed the expanding role of the President’s circle in leading negotiations related to major crises, while the Minister of Foreign Affairs diverted to other paths, less present in the daily coverage of events.

Although Rubio's absence from these stations does not prove his exclusion from internal consultations or decision-making, it does highlight his distance from the public forefront of the negotiations, a space occupied by other officials in the administration.

Meanwhile, American officials defend interest in Central Asia, stressing that the resource-rich region, located between China, Russia and Iran, deserves a greater American presence than it received in previous administrations.

Trump hosted the leaders of the five countries in the region at the White House last November, when Kazakhstan agreed to join the Abraham Accords, under which Muslim-majority countries normalized or strengthened their relations with Israel.

The US President also met with his Uzbek counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings last September, reflecting a presidential interest in developing relations with the region.

However, the strategic importance of these relations does not dispel the irony of Rubio's move towards Central Asia, while the most prominent negotiations related to the flaming crises remain in the hands of other figures.

In the face of criticism, administration officials refuse to consider major capitals and conflict zones as the only destinations worthy of visits by Cabinet-level officials.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on the X platform last week that the belief that only certain destinations are worthy of a Secretary of State's visit "perfectly encapsulates the decline and decline of the contemporary American foreign policy establishment."

But the controversy went beyond a specific travel destination to the distribution of roles within the administration. The presence of those close to Trump was repeated at the forefront of crises, while Rubio continued his tours far from their centers.