Armenia cannot be in both EU and Russian customs bloc, Putin saysMOSCOW, April 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Armenia cannot be both a member of the European Union and the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union, President Vladimir Putin told Armenia's Prime Minister on Wednesday, amid tensions over Yerevan's pivot towards the West. Armenia has shifted its foreign policy away from Russia in recent years, in part because Moscow did not intervene militarily when Azerbaijan launched an offensive against ethnic Armenian separatists in September 2023. "We see that Armenia is discussing developing relations with the European Union, and we are completely calm about this," Putin said. Being in a customs union with the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union is impossible. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he was aware being in the two unions was incompatible, but that pursuing both paths was possible "for now".
