On August 19, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed during a call into The Mark Levin Show that he played a decisive role in ending the decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Notably, Trump mispronounced “Azerbaijan” as “Aberbaijan” and repeatedly referred to Armenia as “Albania.”
Trump recounted his involvement in facilitating peace, saying: “A lot of amazing, amazing things. You saw the Aberbaijan — that was the big one, going on for 34, 35 years with, Albania. Think of that, I mean, going on for years, and I got to know the heads, and I got to know them through trade. I was dealing with them a little bit, and I said, ‘Why are you guys fighting?’ Then I said, ‘I’m not going to do a trade deal if you guys are going to fight. It’s crazy.’ Anyway, one thing led to another and I got that one settled. And that was one that people said you couldn’t settle it. Even when I had them both in the Oval Office at the end, when they were getting ready to sign, they were sitting next to each other. They were trying to get away. They didn’t feel good. By the end of an hour, they were hugging each other and congratulating each other. It was beautiful to watch, actually.”
During the interview, Trump declared that he loves ending wars and emphasized that he has already ended six conflicts while other presidents have struggled to finish even one. He also claimed to have “wiped out” Iran’s nuclear capability, a boast he has repeated before.
Despite his claims, a formal peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia has not yet been signed. During the White House meeting, the leaders signed a seven-point declaration and initialed a 17-part peace deal, but finalization remains pending, with Azerbaijan requiring constitutional amendments from Armenia as a precondition.
Nevertheless, both Pashinyan and Aliyev praised Trump’s mediation and are reportedly planning to nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts. Trump said that, after 35 years, the parties are now friends and will remain so.
