This week, Azerbaijan and Armenia come to a peace agreement. Trump says he won’t discuss land divisions with Putin, sources say. Yemen envoy reports concerning developments hindering peace.
Azerbaijan and Armenia Come to a Peace Agreement
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a peace agreement on August 8 in Washington. The two countries had been engaged in an ethnic and territorial conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region since 1988 in which around 30,000 people were killed and over one million were displaced.
The region was semi-autonomous and primarily inhabited by ethnic Armenians, despite being located within Azerbaijan. In 2023, Azerbaijan reclaimed control of the region in a military campaign.
The new deal includes a transit corridor named the Trump Route connecting Azerbaijan to the enclave of Nackchivan, which is separated from the rest of Azerbaijan by a 32-kilometer patch of Armenian territory. The Trump Route will “allow unimpeded connectivity between the two countries while respecting Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and its people,” said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly.
Trump Says He Won’t Discuss Land Divisions With Putin, Sources Say
US President Donald Trump says he won’t discuss dividing up Ukraine land when he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week, sources say. On August 13, Trump threatened Putin with “very severe consequences” if he didn’t agree to stop his war in Ukraine.
Trump’s warning came after he attended a virtual meeting with European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the leaders had a “constructive and good” discussion with Trump. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy told the group that Putin “is bluffing” about seeking peace, The Associated Press reported.
However, some European officials have said they had the impression that Trump was not optimistic about the results of his meeting with Putin. They said that Trump told them he does not intend to discuss divisions of territory with Putin, and his goal is to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Some of the leaders are reportedly worried that Trump and Putin might agree to the parameters of a peace deal, including territorial divisions, and then try to pressure Ukraine to agree to it.
Yemen Envoy Reports Concerning Developments Hindering Peace
The UN’s Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg reported on August 12 that regional turmoil was hindering hopes for peace in Yemen. In July, the Houthi armed group, which controls a significant portion of the country, launched a significant assault on Government forces in Sa’adah Governorate, which Grundberg said was “concerning.”
Adding to the situation are Yemen’s missile exchanges with Israel, which have continued in the past month. Grundberg called for an end to Houthi strikes on civilian ships in the Red Sea, saying, “For Yemen to have a real chance for peace, it must be protected from being further drawn into the ongoing regional turmoil emanating out of the war in Gaza.” He called on bot countries to take actions that “build trust and good faith.”
Some areas of Yemen, particularly those where people are displaced, are suffering from extreme hunger and malnutrition. UN coordination office OCHA reports that Yemen is one of the most food-insecure countries, with 17 million people going hungry. Without a political solution, “current cycles of violence – local and regional – along with economic devolution and endemic humanitarian need, will persist,” Ramesh Rajasingham, Director of OCHA’s Coordination Division, said.
Keywords: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Ukraine, Russia, Yemen, peace, conflict, conflict resolution
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
