Joint US-Armenia Drills Begin Amidst Shifting Geopolitical Landscape

Yerevan, Armenia – Joint military exercises between Armenia and the United States commenced on August 12, 2025, marking a significant development in regional security and international cooperation. The drills, named "EAGLE PARTNER 2025," are set to continue until August 20, with the stated aim of preparing for participation in international peacekeeping missions.

The opening ceremony of the exercises was attended by key figures including Edvard Asryan, Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, and Kristina Kuinn, the US Ambassador to Armenia, alongside other high-ranking military officials and guests. Personnel from the Armenian Armed Forces peacekeeping brigade, US Army Europe and Africa ground forces, and the Kansas National Guard are participating in the drills.

Broader International Context

The launch of these exercises comes amidst a complex global political environment, with ongoing conflicts and diplomatic manoeuvres shaping international relations:

US-Russia Summit on Ukraine:

A highly anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to take place on August 15 in Alaska.

Reports suggest the meeting will discuss a potential peace agreement for Ukraine. Russia is reportedly demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in exchange for halting offensive operations in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. This plan aims to freeze the conflict and pave the way for long-term peace negotiations. The US is reportedly seeking agreement from Kyiv and its European allies.

The US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believes the Kremlin's primary objective at the summit is not to achieve peace in Ukraine but to create discord between the US and Europe. Russian officials, including Dmitri Medvedev and Sergey Markov, indicate Russia is unwilling to compromise on its core goals, which include preventing Ukraine's NATO membership and replacing its government with a pro-Russian one.

Currently, over 20% of Ukraine's territory remains under Russian occupation, including significant parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

Human Rights Concerns and Regional Tensions:

The US State Department's report for 2024 indicated no significant change in the human rights situation in Azerbaijan compared to previous years. The report highlighted continued concerns over police and prison staff allegedly killing detainees and referenced reports on the ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh and the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage. It also noted the Azerbaijani government's use of social media trolls.

In Iran, police reported the arrest of nearly 21,000 people in June during the 12-day conflict with Israel, significantly higher than previous official figures. Among those detained, 2,774 were foreign nationals accused of espionage, with authorities claiming evidence of suspicious activities like photographing military positions. Human rights groups, including HRANA and Amnesty International, have raised alarms over the scale of repression, increased executions (at least 7 since late June for espionage for Israel), and warnings of torture and unfair trials.

Russian Internal Affairs:

Concerns have been raised after the Russian-appointed Ministry of Education and Science in occupied Luhansk published a database of Ukrainian orphans available for adoption, with 294 profiles of children under 17. The head of "Save Ukraine," Mikola Kuleba, described this as a "slave catalogue" and "modern child trafficking".

Since February 2022, at least 70 people have been killed during arrest operations by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), with many cases linked to suspicions of ties to Ukrainian intelligence or ISIS.

One year after Ukrainian forces entered Russia's Kursk region, at least 293 individuals are still missing, and Russian authorities have not released a list of casualties. Exhumation of bodies in combat zones has been hampered by drone attacks and landmines.

In St. Petersburg, Governor Alexander Beglov signed a decision banning migrants from working as couriers, citing efforts to combat shadow employment and create jobs for Russian citizens. This follows similar bans on migrant taxi drivers in the city and aligns with broader national policies that have seen migrants banned from various sectors in 47 Russian regions.

Global Economy and Security:

US President Donald Trump has extended the freeze on increased tariffs on imported Chinese goods for 90 days, just hours before the "temporary ceasefire" in the trade war between Washington and Beijing was set to expire.

The European military-industrial complex has seen its expansion triple since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. An analysis of over 150 facilities across 37 companies revealed a 7 million square metre increase in facility area, with significant construction aimed at creating a more sustainable industrial base for warfare.

In Romania, authorities are investigating potential Russian sabotage in the contamination of Azerbaijani crude oil destined for a local refinery. High chlorine levels found in oil transported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline are suspected to be a deliberate act of hybrid warfare, with similar contaminated oil reaching other European countries.

A 22-year-old US serviceman, Taylor Adam Lee, was arrested in Texas on charges of attempting to leak classified information about the weaknesses of the "M1A2 Abrams" tank to Russia, hoping to gain Russian citizenship. This comes as 19 of the 31 Abrams tanks provided by the US to Ukraine in Autumn 2023 have been reported as destroyed, damaged, or captured by Spring 2025.

On August 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on "peace agenda achievements" between Armenia and Azerbaijan, reportedly supported by Donald Trump. Both leaders also condemned Russian air strikes on Azerbaijani energy assets in Ukraine.

The 17th anniversary of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war was commemorated on August 8. Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its full support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stressed that peace is the only way to restore territorial integrity, resisting calls from separatist regions for independence.