[1] Good relations with Uzbekistan are a key to Russian great power politics in the greater Central Asian region.

On 14 November 2005, both presidents Islam Karimov and Vladimir Putin signed a mutual cooperation agreement in Moscow.

[8][9] In 2012, Uzbekistan opted to formally withdraw from the Russian-led CSTO alliance, leading some to debate whether such a move indicated a shift in its foreign policy to the West.

After the annexation of Crimea by Russia, separatist movements in the Northern Uzbekistani region of Karakalpakstan grew stronger.

Many Karakalpaks live in Kazakhstan, Russia and South Korea for work and the minority is considered to be pro-Russian.