Putin suggested Pashinyan choose a course before the elections.

Combining Armenia's course toward rapprochement with the EU and membership in the Eurasian Economic Union is "definitely impossible," Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Nikol Pashinyan in the Kremlin. He also stated that Moscow "would like" all pro-Russian political forces to participate in the parliamentary elections in Armenia.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, on March 30, the current head of the Armenian government Nikol Pashinyan became a candidate for the post of prime minister following an internal vote within the ruling Civil Contract party.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's meeting with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on April 1 took place at the invitation of the Russian side. At the beginning of the conversation, Putin thanked his Armenian counterpart for "accepting the invitation." This meeting was the first since the beginning of 2026; Pashinyan and Putin previously met in December 2025 in St. Petersburg, RIA Novosti reported.

Nikol Pashinyan announced his pre-election trip to Moscow back in late March, while speaking with voters at a Yerevan market. There, he assured residents that Russia "remains a friendly country" for Armenia, Vedomosti reports.

Putin himself mentioned the pre-election political struggle in Armenia at the beginning of the meeting. "We see that domestic political processes in Armenia are gaining momentum. The main thing is that these processes, and they always escalate, do not harm our relations," he warned Pashinyan. A video recording of the open 22-minute conversation between the two leaders in the Kremlin was published on the YouTube channel of the media project "Diplomat.Ru."

Speaking about the strong ties between Moscow and Yerevan, Putin stated that in 2025, trade turnover between Armenia and the Russian Federation amounted to $6.4 billion, while “with the neighboring country, Azerbaijan, it was less than five, 4.9.” “Still, this says something,” he noted meaningfully.

Then Putin directly told Pashinyan that it would be impossible for Armenia to combine a course towards the European Union and participation in the Eurasian Economic Union - in his words, “this is simply impossible by definition.” At the same time, he assured that Armenia’s interest in European integration is perceived in Moscow “as calmly as possible.”

Responding to this thesis, Pashinyan explained that he understands the limitations of membership in the Eurasian Economic Union, but intends to “combine these agendas as long as possible. And when a decision needs to be made, we, I mean the citizens of Armenia, will make that decision,” the Armenian Prime Minister stated, adding that relations with the Russian Federation “have never been and never will be in question.”

Speaking about the upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia, Putin said he wants to see all pro-Russian political forces in the country participate. “There are many political forces (in Armenia) that are pro-Russian. I will tell you quite frankly, we would very much like all these political parties and politicians to be able to participate in this domestic political work during the elections. Some, I know, are in prison, despite the fact that they have Russian passports. This is your decision; we will not interfere,” he stated.

Pashinyan retorted that there are no political prisoners in Armenia. "Some of our citizens believe that there is too much democracy in Armenia. Our social media is 100% free, there are no restrictions at all," he noted, adding that people with Russian passports, "with all due respect," cannot run for parliamentary seats or the post of prime minister.

A meeting with Putin will allow Nikol Pashinyan to secure the support of a portion of the pro-Russian electorate in the elections, although the Armenian prime minister has already effectively "made his 'geopolitical choice'" – not in favor of Russia, according to Stanislav Pritchin, head of the Central Asia Sector at the Center for Post-Soviet Studies at the IMEMO RAS.

In his opinion, Pashinyan's goal is to "begin the process of de facto disengagement from Russia," and this was "most likely set by the European Union." "He continues to push for Russian companies to sell their assets in Armenia. This is being done to minimize Russia's institutional presence in Armenia." "A similar system was used in other domestic political matters," Ura.News quotes the analyst as saying.

With his visit to Russia, Pashinyan is "fulfilling a certain social demand from the supposedly pro-Russian segment of his electorate," but overall, Armenian citizens are not eager to "make a final choice between the European and Eurasian integration models at the first opportunity," notes Sergei Markedonov, a leading researcher at the MGIMO Institute of International Studies and editor-in-chief of the journal "International Analytics."

"Many voters of Pashinyan and his 'Civil Contract' want to see Russia as a partner and friend of Armenia; many have relatives in Rostov and Kislovodsk, Armavir and Mineralnye Vody, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. "For them, friendship with Russia is not synonymous with abandoning partnership with the US and the EU," he wrote on his Telegram channel, "Don Cossack." Markedonov also noted that "questions of political aesthetics" play a significant role in Russian-Armenian relations today and praised the diplomatic skill demonstrated by both participants in the negotiations. "All signals have been sent and received, but there have been no harsh attacks. Moscow would like to see 'pro-Russian candidates' in the elections, although this is, of course, Armenia's business. Our republic enjoys pluralism and democracy, but citizens with Russian passports cannot become prime minister, no matter what. (...) Moscow would like to see Armenia as a more consistent ally, while Yerevan (at least here and now) is striving for greater diversification," he concluded.