An abandoned station, a few rusted carriages, and a dozen meters of track are all that is left of a Soviet railway in southern Armenia.
It may seem unlikely, but this derelict stretch of track in the South Caucasus has been tapped to become a symbol of peace brokered by the US president, on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, or Tripp.
Scattered around are fragments of a head from a monument to a communist hero. A female statue is missing an arm.
We are on the Trump route, also known as Crossroads of Peace, the Silk Road, and the Zangezur Corridor, says Marut Vanyan, a local journalist. But so far none of this looks American.
This is one of the unendable wars Trump claims to have brought to an end, in an agreement between Armenia and its long-time enemy Azerbaijan.
The plan envisages US companies moving in under a 99-year deal to develop the 43km (26-mile) route through Armenian territory along its entire border with Iran, in a corridor linking Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan.
A railway, motorway, and pipelines are all promised, and Trump has spoken of companies spending a lot of money, which will economically benefit all three of our nations.
On the ground, the scale of the challenge is clear. This transport link will have to be built from scratch, but political hurdles far outweigh economic issues.
Trump's intervention could reshape the geopolitics of a region that Russia claims as its sphere of influence. Hardliners in Tehran are also worried and are threatening to block the project.
The Tripp proposal is key to ending a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan that started over Nagorno-Karabakh, a part of Azerbaijan historically populated by Armenians.
In 2023, Azerbaijan recaptured the disputed region, and virtually the entire Armenian population fled their homes.
Azerbaijan demanded that Armenia give part of this region as a corridor to its exclave of Nakhchivan. But when Armenia rejected the demand, clashes erupted on the border, and many feared a new war.
Then, in August 2025, Trump unexpectedly broke the deadlock, hosting Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the White House, where he offered a solution designed to satisfy both sides.
A future Trump route promises both unimpeded connectivity for Azerbaijan and full respect for Armenia's sovereignty. The route will be managed by a private US company.
Both nations' leaders say the Washington meeting has restored peace in their region and praise Trump's intervention as a game-changer.
But the document they signed is thin on detail and offers no timeline for the Tripp to be built.
US mediation became possible because of Russia's weakened position in the South Caucasus, as the Kremlin has traditionally worked toward re-opening a similar route.
Despite rejecting Russia's proposal for its FSB border troops to guard the future road, they still patrol the stretch of the Armenia-Iran border marked for the Trump route.
The region is also a crucial hub for exports where Iranian trucks are a common sight, complemented by Iranian construction companies building a new bridge over the proposed route.
However, co-existence between US and Iranian interests remains complex in light of recent US involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict.
Iran's supreme leader, while warning against US meddling, remains measured in his approach, indicating the project is not a threat to Iranian interests.
In southern Armenia, a growing European presence includes France's recent arms sales to Yerevan and an EU monitoring mission, viewing the Trump route as a link to Central Asia, bypassing Russian influence.
Amid the competing interests, Armenia aims to establish itself as a Crossroads of Peace, aspiring for cooperation among regional powers.
Despite no formal peace treaty signed yet, the Washington summit has brought a quiet to the border that has been absent for years, offering hope for stability under Trump's suggested roadmap.
