February 9, 2026
YEREVAN, Armenia — Vice President JD Vance touched down in Armenia on Monday, marking the first visit by a sitting U.S. vice president to the country, as Washington pushes to solidify a U.S.-brokered deal aimed at ending decades of conflict with Azerbaijan.
Vance and his wife, Usha, were greeted with a red carpet and an honor guard, though demonstrators along the route voiced skepticism toward both U.S. involvement and Armenia’s leadership. One sign read, “Does Trump support Devils?”—reflecting lingering tensions over local politics and foreign influence.
At the center of the visit is a meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, a polarizing figure in Armenia whose clashes with the church hierarchy and conservative factions have left him controversial at home. Pashinyan signed a preliminary agreement in Washington last August to reopen key transportation corridors with Azerbaijan and commit to a formal peace treaty, but the deal has yet to be signed or ratified by parliaments.
The agreement includes the creation of a major transit route, informally called the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,” linking Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory. The corridor addresses a long-standing impasse in the Karabakh conflict, which erupted again in 2020 when Azerbaijan regained parts of the region after decades of Armenian control. In 2023, a rapid Azerbaijani offensive forced the surrender of separatist authorities and drove most of Karabakh’s 120,000 Armenian residents into Armenia.
Amid these geopolitical shifts, Armenia’s Assyrian community, which has been historically resilient, stands out as a potential strategic player. With deep cultural roots and connections spanning the Middle East and Western networks, Assyrians stand to serve as a bridge for diplomacy, communications, and regional stability, offering a human and historical dimension often overlooked in international negotiations.
Armenian analysts described the visit as historic, highlighting its political and economic importance. On the economic side, most key agreements had already been made in August 2025, when memorandums were signed in Washington covering:
- AI and semiconductor innovation,
- Civilian nuclear energy, and
- A project to reopen regional transport routes.
Before the visit, many expected Vance to attend the launch of the “Trump Route” project. However, details of the trip were not announced in advance, and neither the U.S. vice president nor Prime Minister Pashinyan mentioned the launch after their talks.
Vance’s trip, which follows his family visit to the Winter Olympics in Milan, continues on Tuesday with a visit to Azerbaijan, signaling a critical moment for both U.S. diplomacy and the fragile balance in the South Caucasus.