The key facts

  • Historian Alpay Ahmedov explained Trump's words about an alliance with Aliyev by their coinciding views on the world situation
  • According to the expert, Azerbaijan is rather a strategic partner of the United States than an ally
  • Against this backdrop, work continues on the 'Trump Route' (TRIPP) project involving the United States, Armenia and Azerbaijan

Coinciding views and quick mutual understanding

Donald Trump's words, in which he called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev an ally, are explained by the fact that the two leaders share similar views on the current situation in the world, and in negotiations they 'find common ground and quickly understand each other.' Alpay Ahmedov, an employee of Baku Slavic University and Doctor of Philosophy in Historical Sciences, gave this assessment of relations between Washington and Baku in a conversation with Lenta.ru, Gazeta.Ru reports.

Ally or strategic partner

The expert emphasized that the words of the head of the White House are a reflection of Trump's own position: in terms of formal relations, Azerbaijan can rather be called a strategic partner of the United States than an ally. The editorial board notes that this caveat separates the American president's rhetoric from the treaty-based status of bilateral relations.

Context: the 'Trump Route'

The statement came against the backdrop of ongoing work on the 'Trump Route' project — the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) program, launched by the United States, Armenia and Azerbaijan, which established two working groups. The agreement on strategic cooperation on the project was signed on June 1, 2026 in Washington, and on June 4 in Yerevan between Armenia and the United States. The launch of the groups was reported earlier, on November 7. The Gazeta.Ru article is marked as subject to updates, so no other assessments or official comments on the topic are included in the publication.