Indonesia and Bulgaria have since distanced themselves from the board, leaving the eight on this list as the swing states of Eurasia. Beijing has knit Central Asia more tightly to itself with pipelines and railroads. By brokering connectivity between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the TRIPP project establishes a U.S.-managed link that connects Central Asia to Turkey and Europe while bypassing Russia. It is uniquely positioned to help the U.S. open doors across Central Asia and the Turkic world. As Trump prepares for his May visit to Beijing, these Eurasian swing states will be watching closely — not only for signals on U.S.-China relations, but for how Washington approaches the broader map.

Source: Washington Post April 06, 2026 22:16 UTC