At a press conference today in Moscow, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced that the decision has been made to close a US military air base in the country. The two nations had been in negotiations over the amount paid by the US to use the base, and Bakiyev says the talks broke down. The Pentagon denied having been given official confirmation from the Krygyz govt that the decision was finalized.

The announcement came during a state visit by Bakiyev to Russia, where he secured considerable financial aid. Before the announcement, reports were circling that the Russian government was predicating hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the nation on the condition that they oust the US from the base.

The air base is an important supply route for US forces in nearby Afghanistan, and the loss of the base will no doubt add further difficulties to the Obama Administration’s planned escalation there.

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