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Armenia Sets Sights on EU—Not Russia, as Pashinyan and Putin Meet in Moscow
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, delivering a blunt assessment of Russia’s failure to uphold its security obligations, The Insider reported, citing Russian state media on April 2.
The meeting served as a public airing of grievances, with Pashinyan explaining the total “freeze” of Armenia’s participation in the CSTO .
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Pashinyan directly linked the decision to the 2022 events in Nagorno-Karabakh, where Azerbaijan seized control of the region while Russian peacekeepers and the CSTO remained sidelined.
“I am unable to explain to our people why the CSTO did not react despite the obligations,” Pashinyan stated. Putin countered by arguing that Armenia’s 2022 recognition of Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory in Prague made any intervention “incorrect,” a justification that Yerevan has long rejected as an excuse for inaction, The Insider wrote.
The conversation shifted to Armenia’s accelerating rapprochement with the European Union. Putin warned that simultaneous membership in the EU and the Russian-led EAEU is “impossible,” pointing to a sharp increase in energy costs if Armenia departs. Putin claimed that Russia currently supplies gas to Armenia at a subsidized rate of $177.5 per thousand cubic meters, whereas European spot prices exceed $600.
While Pashinyan acknowledged the technical incompatibility of the two customs unions, he maintained that Armenia would utilize both options for as long as possible before putting the final decision to a national vote, according to The Insider.
Regional Logistics and 2026 Elections Discussions also touched upon the restoration of railway links through Azerbaijan and the construction of a new nuclear power plant. Pashinyan clarified that Armenia is negotiating with multiple international partners to find the most advantageous deal for its energy future, signaling a move away from total dependence on Russian nuclear conglomerate Rosatom.
As the meeting concluded, Putin expressed concern over the upcoming Armenian parliamentary elections on June 7, 2026. He urged that all political forces, including those with pro-Russian stances, be allowed to participate.
This request comes as Armenia prepares for a final peace treaty with Azerbaijan in 2027, following a US-mediated joint declaration in August 2025 that effectively ended decades of military confrontation.
The diplomatic fracture between Aramenia and Russia intensified in June 2024, when Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan officially announced the suspension of Armenia’s participation in the CSTO, citing the alliance’s failure to defend the country against Azerbaijani incursions during the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh.
This decisive break was followed by a historic parliamentary vote on March 26, 2025, where Armenia approved a law to formally begin the process of joining the European Union. By August 2025, the United States successfully mediated a joint declaration between Armenia and Azerbaijan, signaling a shift toward Western security guarantees and away from Russian regional dominance.
The current April 2026 meeting in the Kremlin highlights the final economic hurdles of this transition, as Armenia weighs the immediate loss of subsidized Russian gas against its long-term aspirations for European integration.
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