Trump Announces ‘Trump Bridge’ Transit Corridor Near Russia as Armenia and Azerbaijan Sign Peace Deal

President Donald Trump has unveiled a landmark agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan that grants the United States leasing rights to develop a 20-mile transit corridor linking the two countries — a project critics have already nicknamed the “Trump Bridge.”

The corridor, situated near Russia’s border and connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory, is part of a broader peace deal aimed at ending nearly 40 years of conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Trump said the agreement will be signed Friday at the White House by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Under the plan, the U.S. will not fund construction. Instead, private companies will be tasked with developing a multi-purpose route expected to include rail lines, oil and gas pipelines, and fiber optic cables. Officials told the Associated Press it will be formally named “The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.”

The deal comes on the deadline Trump set for a ceasefire with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump promoted the agreement on Truth Social, writing: “Many leaders have tried to end the war, with no success — until now, thanks to TRUMP.”

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought over Nagorno-Karabakh since the collapse of the Soviet Union, with large-scale wars in the 1990s and again in 2020. Azerbaijan regained full control in a swift 2023 offensive, prompting a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians.

The new accord also includes U.S. economic partnerships with both nations to boost trade and stability in the South Caucasus. Analysts say the move weakens Moscow’s influence in the region, a shift accelerated by Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Russia, Iran, and Turkey — all bordering the South Caucasus — are expected to feel the ripple effects. Moscow has accused Washington of hijacking the peace process and threatening regional stability.

Olesya Vartanyan, a South Caucasus conflict expert, told Newsweek: “This helps Armenia and Azerbaijan move toward peace — and it further solidifies Russia’s loss of leverage in the region. This is the price Russia has to pay.”