Dozens of people have been killed in protests triggered by a rise in fuel prices, but Blinken said the US believes that the Kazakh government can deal with the protests itself. The first of about 2 thousand 500 Russian-led troops have arrived in Kazakhstan.

Blinken warned that "one lesson of recent history is that once Russians are enter the country, it's sometimes very difficult to get them to leave". But officials in Moscow have emphasised that the deployment of its forces under the Collective Security Treaty Organization is temporary. Meanwhile, Kazakh troops have taken firm action to regain control in Almaty.