Russian President Vladimir Putin said Armenia should decide as soon as possible between joining the European Union and remaining in the Eurasian Economic Union. He made the statement on May 9 while speaking with journalists.
According to Putin, Armenia receives “significant benefits” from participation in the EAEU, particularly in agriculture, industry, customs duties, and labor migration.
“It would be logical to hold a referendum and ask the citizens of Armenia what their choice will be,” Putin said.
He also added that if Yerevan chooses a path toward the EU, it should carry out a “soft, intelligent, and mutually beneficial divorce” from the EAEU.
The topic of Armenia was also addressed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. In an interview with Russian propagandist Pavel Zarubin, he said Moscow “does not understand” why anti-Russian statements are coming from Armenia.
Peskov referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s speech at the European Political Community summit in Yerevan and said the Armenian leadership did not try to “balance” those statements.
Earlier, following Zelenskyy’s speech in Yerevan, Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Armenian ambassador. Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev called Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan a “brainless Russophobe.”
On May 4, during the summit in Yerevan, Zelenskyy said the changed format of Moscow’s May 9 parade could be linked to fears of possible Ukrainian drone flyovers.
