A telling sign of this shift was the February visit of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to the U.S., which ended without a personal meeting with President Trump. Instead, he was received by Vice President J.D. Vance—in a modest office, where photos of the negotiations even showed napkins on the table. It was also symbolic that American officials did not even pretend to attach special significance to the visit.
Another indication of cooling relations is the delay in the arrival of American customs and border control specialists. Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan explained this as a consequence of the U.S. administration change, assuring that “the agreements have not been canceled.” However, the mere fact of the delay suggests that the new White House leadership is in no hurry to fulfill the promises of its predecessors.
The decision to cooperate in customs and border security was made on January 14, when Yerevan and the Biden administration ceremoniously signed a strategic partnership charter with Washington. At the time, it was expected that American instructors would arrive within weeks, but this never happened. Now Armenia is left making excuses, though the reason is clear—the new U.S. president sees no point in deepening engagement with Yerevan under the previous terms.
For Pashinyan, this is a serious signal: while Washington previously pushed Yerevan toward a new confrontation with Baku, Armenia is now left alone with its ambitions. America’s priorities in the region have shifted, and it seems Armenia’s role in them is no longer central.
Under these circumstances, the only realistic option for Armenia is to settle its relations with Azerbaijan. Abandoning revanchist sentiments and signing an agreement with Baku may be the only way to stabilize the situation. But is Pashinyan ready for this? Or will he continue to bet on support that is becoming more and more illusory with each passing day?
