Harsh message from Putin to Armenia before elections

At the summit in Astana, Putin warned against Armenia's orientation towards the EU. EAEU leaders also issued a joint statement regarding Yerevan's membership and the call for a referendum...

Scraper SystemJune 03, 2026, 04:44 PM

Harsh message from Putin to Armenia before elections

Vladimir Putin issued harsh warnings to Armenia before the elections at the summit held in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Russian leader said that if Armenia moves towards the European Union, economic relations with Moscow could shrink. In his statements, Putin also referred to the Ukraine war, claiming that the crisis began with attempts to turn towards Europe. He also argued that European and Eurasian standards, especially regarding food safety and genetically modified products, are too different to be jointly implemented. During the summit, the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia also issued a joint statement about Armenia. The statement called for an assessment of the potential consequences of suspending membership due to Armenia's EU ambitions and urged that the issue be taken to a referendum as soon as possible. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did not attend the summit. Parliamentary elections will be held in the country on June 7. Pre-election pressure increased further with Russia's recent restrictions on some agricultural products and flower shipments from Armenia. It was reported that Russian inspection agencies imposed limitations on various products citing plant health and traceability reasons. The Yerevan administration has recently been following a closer line with Europe. The law initiating the European Union process in Armenia passed parliament, the first Armenia-EU summit was held during the year, and the country suspended its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization.