U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are meeting today, August 15, in Alaska to discuss key regional issues, reportedly including the new Armenia–Azerbaijan transport project known as the “Trump Route.”
The high-stakes summit, taking place at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson just outside Anchorage, is addressing the war in Ukraine, bilateral trade, and regional transport routes — including the proposed “Trump Route” through Armenian territory.
The remarks about the meeting’s agenda were made to TASS by Viktor Vodolatsky, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration, and Relations with Compatriots. Vodolatsky said the issue of control over the “Zangezur Corridor” — a transport route linking Armenia and Azerbaijan — would be among the topics discussed by Trump and Putin during their bilateral meeting.
Trump said he was prepared to discuss business and trade with Putin but emphasized that no expansion of commercial ties would take place until the conflict in Ukraine ends. “They want to do business, but they’re not doing business until we get the war solved,” he stated.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk stated that Moscow supports Armenia in creating the Trump Route with Azerbaijan. “We view this issue in the following context: Armenia is our strategic ally, and if Armenia believes that something is good for them, then of course we support Armenia,” Overchuk told reporters.
Overchuk also announced he will visit Yerevan next week to meet with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and discuss issues related to the Eurasian Economic Union, as well as “certain nuances” concerning the unblocking of connections in the South Caucasus. He said the visit was pre-planned and linked to a new legal act in Armenia that Moscow believes contradicts EAEU legislation. A meeting with Azerbaijani officials in Russia is also expected next week to address regional transport links, and while no trilateral meeting has been agreed upon, Overchuk noted it would be preferable for all three sides to discuss railway restoration and improving transport connections. He added that Pashinyan, who was in Russia two weeks ago for an environmental conference in Altai, is expected to visit Russia again soon.
The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity is a connectivity project outlined in the Armenian–Azerbaijani joint declaration signed in Washington, D.C., by leaders Nikol Pashinyan, Ilham Aliyev, and Donald Trump. The initiative will allow Azerbaijan to reach its exclave of Nakhichevan while, according to Trump, “fully respecting Armenia’s sovereignty.” Under the deal, Armenia will enter an exclusive partnership with the United States to develop the corridor, with a potential 99-year term and the possibility of another 99-year extension. Trump has said the project is expected to spur major infrastructure development, noting that American companies are eager to invest in Armenia and Azerbaijan, promising economic gains for all three nations.
