Armenia Sets Course for EU Membership Bid in Landmark Break From Russia

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on Monday that his government will start preparing a formal application to join the European Union, marking one of the most dramatic geopolitical realignments in the South Caucasus since the Soviet collapse.

Addressing parliament and the nation, Pashinyan laid out a carefully sequenced path: Yerevan will first submit its candidacy, await Brussels' response, negotiate an accession roadmap with the bloc, and only then put the question of membership to voters in a national referendum, which he said should come "in the near future."

The announcement escalates a confrontation with Moscow. Months ago, fellow members of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) pressed Armenia to choose between staying in the alliance and pursuing EU integration through a popular vote — a dilemma sharpened by sweeping Russian economic restrictions and warnings from President Vladimir Putin that Yerevan risked a "Ukrainian scenario." At the time, Pashinyan called such a decision premature.

On Monday, however, he went further than many expected, saying he would welcome it if the bloc expelled Armenia outright. "At least that would free us from the dilemma of whether or not to leave," he said, while confirming that Armenia intends to remain a CSTO member until the choice between the alliance and the EU "becomes unavoidable."

Pashinyan framed the pivot as a long-overdue reckoning. He noted that for two centuries, ties with Russia rested on Moscow's role as guarantor of Armenian statehood, but that events of 2021 through 2023 — spanning Armenia's defeats in its wars with Azerbaijan over Karabakh — exposed the limits of that guarantee when Russia faced its own security burdens. "We have failed to learn the lessons of our history," he said, repeating a critique he has leveled at the Kremlin for abandoning Armenia in its final clash with Azerbaijan.

The shift builds on momentum from August 2025, when Armenia and Azerbaijan concluded a landmark peace process and began forging economic cooperation with substantial backing from the EU and the United States. In a further challenge to Russian influence, Pashinyan also urged Moscow on Monday to surrender its concession over Armenia's railways, which runs until 2038, so the network can be linked to international corridors — potentially with Kazakh or Emirati investment. Armenia's economy remains dependent on Russian energy and infrastructure, underscoring the scale of the transition ahead.

The Kremlin reacted quickly. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that aligning with EU standards could create "deep trade contradictions that will primarily harm Armenia," though he added that Yerevan is "free to make the corresponding decision and leave this organisation" if it no longer values CSTO membership — signals pointing to a turbulent road between Yerevan and its former security patron.