On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin warned the Armenian Prime Minister that a potential accession of Armenia to the European Union is “simply impossible”, as the Armenian state is already part of a customs union with Russia, reports Agerpres.
During the reception at the Kremlin of the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Putin told him that “joining a customs union with both the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union is impossible (…) by definition”.
The Kremlin leader added that Russia understands “that every country tries to get the most benefits from cooperation with third countries, but this must be clear, fair, and agreed upon from the start.”
Putin also told Pashinyan that he hopes that the parliamentary elections scheduled in Armenia in June will also be open to political movements considered “pro-Russian”.
Armenia joined the Eurasian Economic Union, dominated by Russia, in 2015. However, for the past two years, Yerevan has been increasingly defiant towards Moscow.