Trump Endorses Armenia’s Pashinyan Ahead of June Election
President Donald Trump endorsed Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ahead of June 7 elections, linking his support to a U.S.-brokered infrastructure corridor through Armenia.
According to Brussels Signal, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to express his support for Pashinyan, stating that the Armenian prime minister is making his country strong, wealthy and very secure. The American president said Pashinyan shares his vision for peace and prosperity across the South Caucasus region.
Trump gave Pashinyan his complete and total endorsement for the upcoming vote, where the prime minister will lead his Civil Contract party in what polls suggest will be a tight contest. Pashinyan has governed Armenia since 2018 and now faces his principal challenger, former president Robert Kocharyan, who heads the Armenia Alliance.
The June 7 parliamentary ballot marks the first such election in Armenia since 2021 and is viewed as a referendum on Pashinyan’s efforts to pivot away from Russian dependence and strengthen ties with Western powers.
Strategic Corridor at Center of US Support
Trump’s endorsement appears closely linked to a major infrastructure project that Washington brokered. The president announced that the United States and Armenia would soon commence construction on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, known as TRIPP, which he said would transform the South Caucasus.
The 43-kilometer corridor would traverse Armenia’s southern Syunik province, linking mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave. Under an agreement reached at the White House in August 2025, as Brussels Signal reports, the United States secured exclusive development rights for the route.
Trump touted the project as providing American energy companies with access stretching from Central Asia to the United States. He also praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who visited Armenia during a return trip from India, for advancing multiple deals beneficial to both nations.
Unusual Intervention in Foreign Election
The open backing of a candidate in another country’s election represents an uncommon move for an American president, particularly with less than two weeks remaining before voters head to the polls. Trump concluded his message by adapting his own campaign slogan, urging supporters to “make Armenia great again”.
Pashinyan responded on X by thanking Trump for his high praise and friendly words.
Regional Context and Russian Relations
Armenia continues to grapple with the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s military seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023, which displaced nearly all of the roughly 100,000 ethnic Armenians living in the region. For decades, Armenia relied on Russia as its primary security guarantor, but that partnership has deteriorated significantly following the territorial loss.
The South Caucasus nation now finds itself at a crossroads, with Pashinyan actively pursuing closer alignment with Western institutions while simultaneously negotiating with Azerbaijan toward a final settlement of their protracted conflict.
With information from Brussels Signal
