Moscow weighs economic levers against Yerevan over EU pivot

The Russian government is contemplating a range of restrictive measures against Armenia in response to Yerevan’s accelerating pivot toward the European Union, Armenian newspaper Past reported citing sources close to the Kremlin.

According to the outlet, potential retaliatory steps under review include caps on cross-border remittances, transport restrictions, the deportation of Armenian migrant laborers residing in Russia, and sharp price hikes on energy resources, particularly natural gas. Kremlin sources allege that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is actively playing for time—seeking to defer a nationwide EU accession referendum by two to three years in order to diversify trade flows away from the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) while retaining immediate access to Russian markets.

The report follows a contentious September 1 bilateral meeting in Bishkek between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pashinyan, during which the leaders clashed over the compatibility of Armenia’s EAEU commitments with EU integration. While Putin urged Yerevan to "decide promptly," Pashinyan maintained that conditions for a definitive choice had not yet matured.