Yerevan has the right to independently determine its foreign policy vector, this is the right of a sovereign state, but I call on to consider the practical side of such decisions, without excessive politicization and dividing into “black” and “white.” Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), stated this at Friday’s press briefing.

“No one is waiting for goods—in this case, it’s about Armenia—neither in Europe nor in the US. If they had waited, they would have already taken [them], agree. What is the problem? Why don’t they take [them] if they want to help [Armenia] so much, and the goods are so irreplaceable. They would have taken them right now,” said the Russian MFA spox.

Zakharova added that in 2024, Armenia’s trade with the European Union and the US dropped considerably and is approximately six times less than Armenia’s trade with Russia.