From Conflict to Commerce: ‘Trump Route’ to Link Azerbaijan, Armenia in New Peace Deal

WASHINGTON, DC – In a dramatic diplomatic push to end a decades-long conflict, US President Donald Trump is set to host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House on Friday. 

The summit, a culmination of months of intense, behind-the-scenes negotiations, is poised to reshape the geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus and anchor the US as a central player in a region long dominated by Russia and Iran.

Ahead of the White House peace summit, Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent spoke with multiple US officials in the background about the key developments and details surrounding the peace draft.

TRIPP – ‘Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity’

The centerpiece of the agreement is a new commercial and infrastructure project dubbed the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” – or TRIPP for short. This innovative framework is designed to resolve the most contentious issue between the two nations: connectivity. 

TRIPP will establish a transit route through southern Armenia, providing unimpeded access for Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan. 

Crucially, US officials, briefing Kyiv Post on the condition of anonymity, said the route will maintain Armenia’s “sovereignty, territorial integrity, and jurisdiction.”

TRIPP is not a military or defense initiative. Officials were clear that the US is not providing a “hard security guarantee” or deploying forces to the route. Instead, US involvement will be purely commercial, with the US taking on the responsibility to ensure the route “operates safely for all parties” through agreements with “top-class operators.” 

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This reframing of a politically fraught issue into a commercial one is a hallmark of the administration’s approach.

Secret talks

This summit represents a significant departure from previous, largely stalled, mediation efforts. According to senior US officials, the path to this moment began with a trip by Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to Baku in late February, where a “meaningful bond” was formed with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. 

This opened the door for a series of five additional visits to the region by US representatives, who found a shared belief among both Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders that “this is the moment, and this is the leader.”

The officials emphasized that the current geopolitical climate, with both Russia and Iran distracted by other global issues, created a unique opportunity for both countries to take a “courageous step” toward peace.

Joint declaration

On Friday, Aug. 8, Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will sign several pivotal documents at the White House, witnessed by President Trump, according to officials:

Joint declaration: This will formalize a “concrete pathway to peace” and full normalization of relations, which officials described as being “as close to irreversible as possible.”

Initialing a peace agreement: The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia will initial the text of a bilateral peace agreement that has been under negotiation for months.

Joint letter to exit the Minsk Group: Both countries will formally withdraw from the OSCE Minsk Group, a mediation platform that has been deemed “not helpful” and in need of a fresh approach.

New bilateral MOUs: The US will sign separate memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with Armenia and Azerbaijan, “relaunching” and “launching” their respective bilateral relationships and opening up opportunities previously unthinkable.

The TRIPP working groups are expected to begin discussions the week following the summit, with a deadline set by Trump for their work to be completed.

The agreements are long-term, lasting more than 50 years, and negotiations are still ongoing about a specific duration.

The US is positioning itself as a reliable partner for both sides, the officials emphasized.

Outstanding issues

While the summit is a major breakthrough, two significant roadblocks remain: Armenia’s demand to release of its prisoners in Azerbaijan, and a demand by Azerbaijan for Armenia to amend its constitution. 

US officials acknowledged these are “important details” but said the administration’s strategy is to first lock the parties into a pathway for peace, which will then create a better environment for tackling these contentious issues.

When asked about the timing of the summit, which coincides with a significant deadline related to Ukraine-Russia, senior US officials stated unequivocally that the Friday date “was not deliberately planned for that day, that’s for sure.”

The officials explained that the timing was a matter of seizing a unique diplomatic opportunity rather than aligning with any external schedules. 

“What we learned from President Trump is when peace presents itself, you take advantage of that,” one official insisted. “This isn’t about headlines. This isn’t about forcing anybody. This is about ending the 35-year-plus conflict in any way that we can.”

The summit is expected to produce several pivotal documents, including a joint declaration for a concrete pathway to peace, the initialing of a comprehensive peace agreement, and a joint letter to exit the OSCE Minsk Group, a mediation body that officials said “hasn’t worked, won’t work, and right now is causing problems instead of helping.”

Abraham Accords 2.0? 

The broader implications of the deal were also discussed. Officials hinted at a potential “Abraham Accords 2.0” – a reference to a 2020 deal aimed at normalizing ties in the Middle East – with Azerbaijan leading the charge. 

They stated that this new peace initiative could serve as a model for a wider “circle of peace,” bringing together countries that have strong relationships with Israel and are committed to regional stability.

‘Historic Friday’

The summit, described as a “historic Friday,” is an audacious move by an administration eager to secure a foreign policy victory in its first six months. 

One official noted the sense of urgency, stating that the Azeris in particular were focused on an “hourglass” of time to maximize their relationship with Washington. 

The goal, they said, is to “bring countries together to end war,” even if it means working on a Friday in August. 

The White House hopes that by putting the US at the center of this new regional order, it can build a lasting legacy of peace and prosperity in a vital corner of the world.

While the diplomatic breakthrough is being celebrated, human rights advocates and international observers have voiced concerns about the US drawing closer to Azerbaijan.  The relationship between Washington and Baku had grown increasingly strained over the past few years due to the country’s deteriorating human rights record. 

The US State Department, along with international bodies, had repeatedly criticized the Aliyev government for a crackdown on independent media, politically motivated arrests, and a lack of judicial independence. 

Critics argue that this new diplomatic engagement, while promising for regional stability, might also risk undermining past US efforts to promote democratic values and human rights in the region.