Pashinyan says Armenia is not allied with Russia on Ukraine
Updated
Updated · Kyiv Post · May 7
Pashinyan says Armenia is not allied with Russia on Ukraine
12 articles · Updated · Kyiv Post · May 7
Speaking at a government briefing in Yerevan after Volodymyr Zelensky's Monday visit for the European Political Community summit, he said Armenia had sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
Pashinyan said Yerevan's Ukraine policy follows its own strategic interests and linked that approach to regional peace efforts and the Alma-Ata Declaration framework in talks with Azerbaijan.
The remarks underline Armenia's wider drift from Moscow after the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; it froze participation in the Russian-led CSTO in February 2024 and ratified the ICC treaty in 2023.
Can new Western allies shield Armenia from Russian retaliation after it severed their historic security pact?
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Armenia’s 2023-2025 Strategic Pivot: Breaking from Russia, Diversifying Security, and Pursuing EU Integration
Overview
In October 2023, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan publicly distanced Armenia from Russia by declaring it was not an ally in the Ukraine conflict and providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine. This shift was driven by Russia's refusal to support Armenia during Azerbaijan's 2023 offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh and Belarus's dismissive stance toward Armenia. Following Russia's failure to uphold security commitments since the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and the CSTO's refusal to assist, Armenia withdrew from the CSTO in May 2024. Subsequently, Armenia diversified its military partnerships with India, France, and Western countries, developed its own defense industry, and pursued closer ties with the European Union, formalized by a 2025 EU membership draft and strategic partnership. These moves challenged Russia's influence, triggered Russian retaliation, and heightened regional tensions, especially with Azerbaijan and Turkey.