Russia has warned that Armenia’s accelerated rapprochement with the European Union could undermine its allied ties with Moscow and disrupt integration processes in the post-Soviet space, while simultaneously signaling readiness to consider participation in a US-backed regional infrastructure project involving Yerevan.
In comments to state news agency TASS, Vladislav Maslennikov, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s European Affairs Department, said Armenia’s interest in joining the EU was a cause for concern, citing what he described as the bloc’s “rapid transformation into an aggressive military-political alliance” pursuing confrontation with Russia.
“We expect that Armenia will be aware of the potential negative consequences of establishing closer ties with Brussels, both for our allied relations and for the development of integration processes in the post-Soviet space,” Maslennikov said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously echoed those concerns, saying it is not feasible to adopt EU standards while remaining within the EAEU. Referring to a document signed between Armenia and the EU in December 2025, Lavrov said proposed visa liberalization would require EU involvement in law enforcement and border management, raising questions given the presence of Russian border guards in Armenia.
Armenian officials have repeatedly insisted that closer ties with the European Union do not amount to a rupture with Russia.
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said in December in an interview with Armenian public television that Yerevan has no agenda to sever political or economic relations with Moscow and continues to benefit from its membership in the Eurasian Economic Union, adding that any future discussion on EU accession would be subject to broad internal debate.
At the same time, Russia has indicated openness to engaging with the US-backed TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity) infrastructure initiative.
On Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow was ready to consider all options for joining the TRIPP project, including drawing on the experience of Russian Railways, while stressing that discussions were still at an early stage.
She said Russia remains in contact with Armenian partners, including the economic bloc of the Armenian government, and that Moscow’s proposal to hold substantive inter-agency consultations with Yerevan remains in force.
Armenia and the United States have previously agreed to establish a joint company, TRIPP Development, to oversee the project’s implementation. According to a roadmap published by the US State Department, the United States would hold a 74% stake in the company, with Armenia retaining 26%.
The TRIPP project envisages the construction of a 42-kilometer road in southern Armenia linking Azerbaijan with its Nakhichevan exclave through Armenian territory.
