JD Vance Signs Nuclear Deal In Historic Visit To Armenia
Vice President JD Vance made history Monday as the highest-ranking U.S. official ever to visit Armenia, signing a landmark civil nuclear agreement with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The deal advances President Donald Trump’s agenda to stabilize the South Caucasus while building a deeper economic and strategic partnership with Armenia.
The agreement opens the door for up to $9 billion in U.S. investment in Armenia’s nuclear energy sector and includes an $11 million drone shipment along with collaboration on the sale of Nvidia chips to the Armenian tech sector. Vance said the deal would spark as much as $5 billion in immediate U.S. exports, followed by another $4 billion in long-term contracts for fuel and maintenance.
Vance praised the agreement as a “win-win” for both countries, strengthening Armenia’s energy independence while creating major economic opportunities for American firms. The visit marks a dramatic realignment for Armenia, which for decades leaned on Russia for security and infrastructure. Since Trump returned to office, however, Armenia has drawn closer to the United States.
The nuclear agreement builds on last August’s U.S.-brokered peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan. That deal, hailed as a diplomatic breakthrough, helped end years of violent conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians were displaced from the area in recent years. Pashinyan reaffirmed his country’s commitment to the peace framework during Vance’s visit.
Calling the Trump-brokered peace deal “visionary,” Vance credited Pashinyan and President Trump for creating the conditions for real prosperity. “We’re not just making peace for Armenia,” he said. “We’re also creating real prosperity for Armenia and the United States together.”
The prime minister said Trump’s role in brokering the peace was worthy of international recognition. He revealed that both he and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had jointly nominated Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. Pashinyan said Vance’s visit “reflects the depth of the strong and strategic partnership” forming between the U.S. and Armenia.
The two countries also unveiled plans for a new international trade route through Armenia, tentatively called the Trump Road for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). The infrastructure project is designed to link Armenia more effectively to its neighbors and is seen as a way to cement the regional peace agreement. A team of American engineers has already begun surveying the route.
Stepan Sargsyan, a former governor working closely with Pashinyan, said the TRIPP initiative is progressing rapidly. “Literally a few days ago, the American embassy in Yerevan announced that a team of engineers from a U.S. company had already arrived in Armenia to do the surveying,” Sargsyan said.
The Trump administration hopes TRIPP will bring lasting economic stability to the region and prevent future conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Vance also emphasized Armenia’s deep Christian heritage, calling the country a “true bedrock of Christian civilization and culture.” Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as its official religion in A.D. 301. “As a devout Christian myself, I know the meaning of this country to the entire world,” Vance said during his press conference with Pashinyan.
Following his Armenia visit, Vance is scheduled to travel to Azerbaijan to continue strengthening Trump-era diplomacy and ensure the peace deal remains on track.