US President Donald Trump has endorsed Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ahead of Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary election, praising him as “a great friend and leader” and linking his support to a US-backed South Caucasus infrastructure project known as the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP).
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump said Pashinyan “completely shares my vision of PEACE and PROSPERITY for Armenia and the entire South Caucasus region,” adding that the Armenian leader had his “COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement for Re-Election.”
Trump also said the US and Armenia would “break ground together” on TRIPP, which he said would “transform the South Caucasus” and help American energy companies gain access “from Central Asia all the way to the US.”
The endorsement comes just one day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Yerevan, where Washington and Armenia signed a strategic partnership agreement, as well as agreements linked to critical minerals and the proposed TRIPP corridor.
The route is planned to run through southern Armenia, connecting Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave and onward toward Turkey. US officials have promoted the corridor as a way to boost regional trade, deepen Armenia’s Western ties and open new transport and energy links between Central Asia, the South Caucasus and global markets.
Moscow claims TRIPP runs counter to Armenia’s interests and instead promotes its own Meghri corridor concept, which envisages stationing Russian FSB personnel along the route.
The Aug. 8, 2025 Washington peace summit brokered by Trump fundamentally ruptured Moscow’s long-standing role as the region’s indispensable arbiter. The TRIPP agreement provides a Western-mediated blueprint for regional connectivity.
Rather than allowing Russian FSB border guards to control transit routes through Armenia – a condition Moscow has long demanded – the US-backed framework affirms Armenian sovereignty.
Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party is heading into the election as Armenia continues its sharp geopolitical pivot away from Moscow.
Moscow has reacted angrily to Armenia’s pro-Western turn. On Wednesday, Russia warned that it could suspend or terminate preferential supplies of oil, gas and rough diamonds if Armenia continues pursuing EU integration. Armenia remains heavily dependent on Russian energy, importing reportedly 82 percent of its gas from Russia last year.
Pashinyan has said Armenia does not currently plan to leave the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union, arguing that Yerevan can pursue reforms toward European standards while remaining in the bloc.
Trump’s intervention is likely to be seen as a major boost for Pashinyan, whose election campaign has centered on peace with Azerbaijan, reduced dependence on Russia and Armenia’s emergence as a regional transit hub.
“Make (Armenia) Great Again – MAGA!” Trump wrote.