Alex Raufoglu, a Washington-based journalist, was the first to report on the talks on Monday. In a follow-up social media post, he said that Trump will meet with Pashinian and Aliyev separately before the three leaders jointly address the press.
Official Yerevan pointedly declined to deny the information while Baku remained silent as of Tuesday afternoon. Still, an Azerbaijani online publication close to the government did indicate that preparations are underway for the talks. It also suggested that Aliyev and Pashinian may sign a peace deal in Washington.
Citing unnamed “regional sources,” the London-based news website Middle East Eye (MEE) said that the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders will likely sign a “memorandum of understanding” that will reaffirm their stated commitments to a peaceful settlement.
“Sources added that the two leaders are expected to sign a ‘letter of intent,’ rather than a draft peace agreement, providing Trump with a diplomatic achievement he has been seeking in the region since last month,” wrote its correspondent in Ankara.
Pashinian and Aliyev most recently met in Abu Dhabi on July 10. They discussed, in particular, the possibility of initialing an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty finalized by the two sides in March. Baku continues to make the signing of the still unpublicized treaty conditional on a change of Armenia’s constitution.
Armenian opposition leaders say that the treaty would lead to more Armenian concessions to Azerbaijan and encourage Baku to demand even more from Yerevan. They claim that Pashinian is desperate to secure such a document in hopes of increasing his chances of winning the next general elections due in June 2026.
Armen Ashotian, a deputy chairman of the opposition Republican Party of Armenia, on Tuesday accused Pashinian of keeping the domestic public in the dark about his intentions. Ashotian was also skeptical about the success of the latest U.S. push for an Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement. He argued that during the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh Baku failed to comply with a ceasefire brokered by the first Trump administration.
By contrast, Boris Navasardian, a pro-Western Armenian commentator, looked forward to the upcoming talks at the White House.
“The assertive policy pursued by the White House now is driving the conflicting sides towards a more constructive engagement,” he said.