Russia is elevating the strain on Armenia as conventional ally seems to be to the West.
Revealed On 1 Jun 2026
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has rejected a name from Moscow to carry a right away referendum on leaving the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) to hitch the European Union.
The refusal from Pashinyan got here on Monday as Russian President Vladimir Putin known as, ostensibly to want him a contented birthday. The “unreasonable” demand, because the Armenian chief termed it, got here amid a speedy escalation of financial and diplomatic strain from the Kremlin as its conventional ally more and more seems to be to the West.
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Tensions boiled over on the EAEU summit in Kazakhstan on Might 29, as Putin and fellow bloc members Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan issued a joint assertion urging Armenia to carry a referendum on becoming a member of the EU “as quickly as attainable”.
Membership of each the EU and EAEU is unattainable, the Russian chief insists.
Putin additionally appeared to make a barely-veiled menace, warning Armenia in opposition to pursuing its Western ambitions, and noting that the “Ukrainian situation” had begun with Kyiv’s EU aspirations.
In a video handle broadcast on social media, Pashinyan said that the federal government within the capital Yerevan would proceed working inside the EAEU till a alternative between the 2 blocs “turns into unavoidable”, noting that any referendum earlier than Armenia formally applies for EU candidate standing stays purely theoretical.
“Placing a theoretical option to a referendum is, after all, neither very wise nor justified,” Pashinyan mentioned, describing ties with Russia as being in a “transformation part”.
Each the Kremlin and Yerevan mentioned that Putin had known as Pashinyan to debate the result of the summit, and to supply him birthday needs.
Nonetheless, Russia has been elevating the strain on Armenia considerably forward of forward of parliamentary elections within the Caucasian nation on June 7.
Over the weekend, Moscow recalled its ambassador to Armenia for consultations.
On Monday, Russia’s agricultural watchdog suspended fish and seafood imports from Armenia, citing well being violations.
The embargo hits an important sector that sends 30 % of its exports to Russia, and follows commerce bans on Armenian produce, flowers, mineral water and alcohol – a typical tactic employed by Moscow displeased by former colonies.
The European Union accused Moscow on Monday of making an attempt to cripple Armenia’s economic system to affect the upcoming election end result.
Lengthy allied with Russia, the previous Soviet republic has been diversifying its partnerships since its neighbour did not intervene throughout Azerbaijan’s 2023 military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, which noticed Armenia lose management of the territory over which the pair had argued for many years.
That course of has accelerated since Moscow invaded neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022.
Yerevan has considerably deepened its European ties, internet hosting its first official EU summit final month alongside a wider European gathering attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Armenia additionally hosted French President Emmanuel Macron for a high-profile state go to, which provoked sharp criticism from the Kremlin after a video emerged of Macron singing whereas Pashinyan performed the drums.
