President Donald Trump is expected to host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House today to pave the way for a long-elusive peace deal between the two South Caucasus nations.
While many of the details aren’t yet public, the Trump administration views bringing Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan together as a way to reduce both nations’ dependence on Russia and to boost U.S. access to the wealth of critical minerals found in that part of the world.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s top peace negotiator, have taken leading roles in the negotiations. But it was a late May visit to both countries by Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) that helped secure a breakthrough, according to sources familiar with the matter.
On May 29, Daines — who will be at the White House today for the unveiling — traveled to Baku and met with Aliyev alongside representatives from Rubio’s and Witkoff’s teams. The next day, the group met with Pashinyan.
CODEL lowdown. This wasn’t your typical CODEL. There was live negotiating. And Daines’ message to the heads of state was that the United States wants to be a reliable partner to both nations. That can help the United States too, as Russia has long been the most powerful force in the region.
It remains to be seen whether the White House summit today will lead to lasting peace between the two longtime foes.
It’s also unclear whether Azerbaijan’s 2023 military takeover of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region — and the Armenians displaced as a result — will be addressed.
But according to sources familiar with the late May meetings, Pashinyan didn’t indicate to Daines and the U.S. diplomats in the room whether he would engage in further military conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
“We cannot miss this moment,” Daines said.
