Russia offers itself as venue for Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty signing; Deputy FM Galuzin makes pitch at St. Petersburg forum as treaty stays unsigned

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on June 4, 2026, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin offered Russia as the host venue for signing an Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty, stating Moscow is 'ready to assist Yerevan and Baku in unblocking transport and economic communications, resolving humanitarian issues, and preparing and providing a Russian platform for signing a peace treaty.' Galuzin tied the offer to the trilateral agreements struck by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan between 2020 and 2022, and promoted the '3+3' regional cooperation platform linking Russia, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.

The Russian pitch is significant because it competes directly with Washington: on August 8, 2025 Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, with US President Donald Trump mediating, initialed a peace agreement text and signed a joint declaration at the White House — but the treaty remains unsigned and unratified. The core obstacle is constitutional: Baku insists Armenia first remove what it views as territorial claims from its constitution, while Yerevan's constitutional change requires a referendum slated for 2027.

Galuzin's intervention signals Moscow's effort to reinsert itself as broker of a South Caucasus settlement it has been sidelined from since the US-brokered initialing, reframing the still-open treaty as a venue and sequencing question rather than a settled American achievement.