Russia has been pushed away from the new Caucasus transit corridor

Russia is finally losing its position as a key player in the South Caucasus amid the launch of the international project “Trump’s Path to International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP).

This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.

Under the TRIPP initiative, a joint Armenian-American management company will ensure the operation of the project and communication between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which were recently at war, for at least 49 years. Previously, Moscow had positioned itself as the undisputed mediator in the region.

The project involves laying oil and gas pipelines, fiber optic networks, as well as the development of railway and road infrastructure along the border railway branch with Iran. According to the beneficiaries, the corridor will become an important link in the Trans-Caspian route, connecting China, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and European countries.

According to SZRU, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated that Russia’s participation in the TRIPP project was not even discussed by the American and Armenian sides.

At the same time, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan appealed to Russian Railways, which currently acts as the concessionaire of the Armenian railway, with a demand to restore the destroyed tracks to the borders of Azerbaijan and Turkey as soon as possible. In case of refusal, Armenia is ready to implement these projects at its own expense, which, according to the government, will call into question the feasibility of Russia’s continued presence in the region.

It was previously reported that in 2025, the volume of pipeline oil supplies to Russian refineries decreased to the lowest level since 2010.

As a reminder, Russia’s federal budget has been running a serious deficit for the fourth year in a row. In 2025, the gap between revenues and expenditures reached a record 5.64 trillion rubles.