Putin sees Armenia’s EU plans as concerning

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Armenia’s decision to formalize its drive toward European Union integration at the legislative level is concerning for Russia.

“Of course, this has concerned us, if a law has been adopted and it is not simply about discussions, but about a law,” Putin said during a meeting with heads of international news agencies in St. Petersburg, Interfax reported.

Putin also said Russia would continue to maintain normal relations with Armenia, regardless of what decision the country makes on its future development path.

“Quite recently, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he considered it necessary to hold a referendum on this issue (on joining the EU — ed.). We have only one request: to do it as quickly as possible. That is all; we have no demands or complaints. We will maintain normal relations with Armenia, regardless of which path it decides to take,” Putin said.

He stressed that he sees nothing negative in the fact that the political forces supporting Nikol Pashinyan are guided by Western standards.

“The political forces behind the current prime minister, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, have long been speaking about this openly and do not hide their position. In fact, there is nothing bad here: they are guided by certain Western, European standards,” Putin noted.

The Russian president added that every sovereign state, including Armenia, has the right to choose independently the priorities, standards and partners it considers important for the country’s development, strengthening of independence and sovereignty, and economic progress.

“I believe it is certainly the right of every sovereign state, such as Armenia, to choose the priorities, values, standards and partners that, in its view, are important for the country’s development, strengthening of independence and sovereignty, as well as for the economy.”

Putin recalled that Armenia had adopted a special law concerning the launch of the country’s process of joining the European Union.

“This is natural; there is nothing special here. However, Armenia is within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union. The standards, technical regulations in agriculture, transport and logistics are different; there are many issues that do not coincide,” the Russian president said.

According to him, it would be desirable for the technical standards, logistics systems and many other components important for economic development in the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union to coincide as much as possible in the long term.

“I would very much like, in historical perspective, for all these technical standards, logistics and many other issues that may seem formal at first glance but are extremely important for economic development to coincide both in the European Union and in the Eurasian Economic Union. Then it would truly be a large, huge economic space, as de Gaulle once said, from Lisbon to the Urals, and in reality to Vladivostok. But at present this cannot be implemented; technologically, it is not possible now,” Putin said.

On December 2, 2025, in Brussels, following the results of the 6th meeting of the Armenia-EU Partnership Council, Armenia and the European Union signed the strategic partnership agenda. The document was signed by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.