President Vladimir Putin has warned Armenia that pursuing European Union membership could result in losing access to cheap Russian oil and gas. The warning comes ahead of a parliamentary election in Armenia on Sunday, where polls suggest the party of Western-leaning Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will win.
Armenia, a landlocked country of 3 million with centuries-old ties to Russia, is highly dependent on Moscow. Russia has already imposed temporary bans on important Armenian exports before the vote, demonstrating that the threat is credible.
Putin's words reflect an uncomfortable truth for Moscow: waging war in Ukraine for over four years has stretched Russian resources, while the EU and US have been courting traditional Russian allies. Armenia signed a partnership agreement with the US last month and passed a law last year setting out a legal basis for joining the EU.
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed concern over Armenia's rapprochement with the Euro-Atlantic community, which she said is directed against Moscow. Russian war bloggers and analysts say Russia faces a concerted Western attempt to squeeze it out of the South Caucasus region.
Since Armenia hosted a meeting of European leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last month, Russia has banned imports of many Armenian goods, warned it might cut off cheap oil and gas, suggested Armenia could be expelled from the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union, and recalled its envoy for consultations.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, hinted that Armenia's prime minister could face the fate of Leon Trotsky, who was killed with an ice pick. Meanwhile, Russia's influence is under pressure in other regions, including Europe, where allies like Viktor Orban lost power in Hungary and Serbia faces pressure over EU membership.
