Celeste Wallander, Special Assistant to US President for Russia and Eurasia on the National Security Council in the White House, talks to Navbahor Imamova, Voice of America's Uzbek Service, about US priorities, interests and partnerships in Central Asia. Wallander recently visited the region where she met with the presidents of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In this interview, she also discusses the concerns over Russia's recent actions, Afghanistan drawdown and how she, as an academic and policymaker, feels about the funding cuts in Russian and Central Asian studies.