political5d ago
Russia and Armenia relations decline as Yerevan shifts toward the West
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan to discuss Armenia's pursuit of EU accession. Putin stated that this pivot towards the European Union could jeopardize Armenia’s membership in the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and disrupt bilateral trade, which currently accounts for roughly 30 percent of Armenia's trade. Pashinyan maintained that Armenia's actions did not violate its obligations to Russia or the EEU. Relations between the two nations have declined since 2023, following Russia's lack of military intervention during the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.