US President Donald Trump does not seek to deprive Russia of influence in the South Caucasus, but seeks to develop relations with the countries of the region, proceeding from the interests of the United States. Senior director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center and former US ambassador to Ukraine and Uzbekistan, John Herbst, stated this while being a guest on the Power Factor program of Armenian News-NEWS.am.

As per Herbst, the intention to develop relations with Yerevan and Baku is not linked to a wish to deprive Russia of influence in Armenia and the entire region.

“As a result, this may happen, but this is not Trump’s main goal. He sees US interests in the South Caucasus, but does not connect them with Russia’s interests,” Herbst believes.

He added that the US president began working on the South Caucasus issue back in April-May 2025, and that he met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in August.