Putin Issues Public Warning to Armenia Over Closer Ties with EU

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a significant meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on April 1, 2026, at the Kremlin in Moscow, issued a public warning regarding Armenia's potential closer ties with the European Union. Putin noted that Russia has been observing discussions from the Armenian side about developing relations with the EU, but he emphasized that membership in a customs union with both the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is impossible.

"We see that in Armenia there is talk of developing relations with the European Union. We regard this absolutely calmly... But it must be clear and honestly stated that membership in a customs union with the EU and the EAEU is impossible," Putin said during a press conference. He referred to the EAEU, an organization established in 2015 to strengthen economic ties between Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Putin further highlighted that Russia supplies gas to Armenia at a "significantly" lower price than that offered by the EU, adding that it is Armenia's "choice" to cooperate with either the EU or Russia.

During the public conversation, Putin also addressed the issue of political opposition in Armenia, expressing that Russia "would very much like all these political parties and politicians to be able to participate in the internal political life during elections," adding that "some of them are in custody, despite having Russian passports."

Putin likely alluded to Samvel Karapetyan, a Russian-Armenian oligarch who has faced multiple detentions while attempting to position himself as a political rival to Pashinyan.

Pashinyan, without naming Karapetyan, stated that Armenian legislation requires political candidates to hold exclusively Armenian citizenship, adding that there are "no restrictions" placed on the political opposition under such circumstances.

Armenia and Russia have maintained close ties for an extended period; however, relations between the two countries have experienced significant strain in recent years. A primary source of tension has been Armenia's perception of the failure of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a military alliance led by Russia, to fulfill its obligations in defending Armenia during the resurgence of hostilities with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022.

In 2024, Armenia suspended its membership in the CSTO but has yet to officially withdraw from the organization.

"(Its) mechanisms were supposed to work, but this did not happen. This has led to the current state of our relations with the CSTO. We are not participating in its work now, as we still cannot explain to our people why the CSTO did not respond," Pashinyan stated.