Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow supports the further development of friendly and mutually beneficial relations with Armenia, while noting the need for Yerevan to decide as soon as possible on its future political and economic course in connection with its declared intention to join the European Union. The Russian leader said this during talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek.

“I am very glad to see you. And first of all, I will emphasize the main thing — this is where I would like to begin. We have always stood and continue to stand for the development of friendly, mutually beneficial relations with Armenia, based on the principle of strategic partnership and alliance,” Putin said.

According to him, this approach meets the “fundamental interests of the Armenian people” and Russia, and is also обусловлен historical ties between the two peoples.

Putin also focused separately on economic cooperation. He called Russia Armenia’s main trade and economic partner and said that Russian investors account for about 30% of investments in the Armenian economy. According to the Russian president, in the first half of 2026 the volume of Russian-Armenian trade amounted to $2.5 billion.

“Mutually beneficial projects are being implemented in industry, agriculture, mining, peaceful nuclear energy, transport, and the digital economy,” Putin noted.

He also said that Russian companies are among the largest taxpayers to Armenia’s budget, create jobs, transfer modern technologies, and contribute to strengthening the republic’s energy security.

Putin devoted a significant part of his remarks to the prospects of Armenia’s European integration. He recalled that he had repeatedly discussed this issue with Pashinyan both by phone and during personal meetings.

The Russian president stressed that Moscow recognizes Armenia’s right to independently determine the direction of its development.

“Armenia’s aspiration toward the EU is the lawful right of the country and its people. Armenia is a sovereign state, and it is for the Armenian people to determine the vector of its development,” Putin said.

At the same time, according to him, Armenia’s movement toward the European Union inevitably creates difficulties for its continued membership in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Putin warned that if Armenia changes its integration course, it may face the loss of advantages it receives in the EAEU market, as well as disruptions to established trade chains.

“But this certainly creates difficulties for remaining in the Eurasian Economic Union and threatens to wipe out the republic’s advantages in the EAEU market and break established trade chains,” the Russian leader said.

As an argument in favor of the current economic integration, Putin cited Armenia’s development indicators during its participation in Eurasian integration processes. According to him, in more than ten years of membership, the republic’s GDP nearly tripled — from $10.6 billion in 2015 to $29.2 billion in 2025.

Armenia’s exports to EAEU countries, Putin noted, increased tenfold over this period. At the same time, the bloc’s market now accounts for about 36% of Armenia’s foreign trade turnover.

Putin stressed that the final decision on the country’s future political and economic course should be made taking into account the position of Armenia’s population.

“Of course, the people of Armenia should clearly speak out on the choice of the country’s future political and economic course,” the Russian president said.

At the same time, Moscow, according to him, will respect any choice made by the Armenian people, but it needs to understand how to build relations with Yerevan in the future, primarily in the economic sphere.

“And I repeat once again, we will respect any choice of the Armenian people. Whatever Armenia decides, so it shall be. But we must adjust our trade and economic policy in connection with these possible decisions,” Putin said.

He urged Yerevan not to delay in determining its course.

“And the faster we decide, the better, because we also need to understand how to further develop relations with Armenia, above all in economic terms,” the Russian leader said.

Putin recalled that Pashinyan had previously publicly spoken about the need to hold a referendum on the issue of European integration. The Russian president noted that he supported this position during the last summit of European Union heads of state, where, according to him, he mentioned the Armenian prime minister’s public statement and urged his European colleagues to support it.

Speaking about the possible consequences of changing Armenia’s integration course, Putin separately addressed practical economic issues. In particular, this concerns the regulation of trade in agricultural products, technical requirements, and standards.

According to the Russian president, the regulatory requirements of the EAEU and the EU differ substantially, and in the past Moscow found it extremely difficult to find compromises with the European side on such issues.

“Some things — issues of regulation, say, of agricultural products, issues of regulating various technical norms and standards. They absolutely do not coincide in the European Union and in the EU,” Putin noted.

He added that Russia had already encountered similar problems during previous attempts to reach agreements with European countries.

“Attempts, back when we had more or less normal relations, to agree with the Europeans on some compromises led nowhere. Nowhere. They are fairly tough negotiators, quite stubborn. And so we found no way to resolve almost a single issue,” the Russian leader said.

Putin allowed that in the future Russia and the European Union may again discuss economic relations, since the two sides’ economies are complementary in some areas. He expressed hope that the current period of crisis in relations would someday come to an end.

“Well, probably, at some point we will still have to do this, bearing in mind the fundamental interests of both our economy and the European one, and their complementarity in some respects. I hope all these crisis phenomena will someday pass,” the Russian president said.

At the same time, Putin warned that even if relations with the EU are normalized, Moscow will face the need to take into account the consequences of a possible strengthening of the European presence on the Russian market.

“But even when they pass, when there used to be good relations with Europe — so to speak — it was very difficult. And in this regard, problems will certainly arise related to the inflow of European goods to our market, services, and so on. There are a thousand questions there,” he said.

In this connection, it is important for the Russian leadership to understand in advance how Armenia’s economic interaction with both the EAEU and the EU will develop, Putin noted.

In conclusion, the Russian president expressed hope that all these issues could be discussed with Pashinyan “in a calm, friendly atmosphere” and in a businesslike manner.

“Well, I hope that now, in a calm, friendly atmosphere, we will discuss all these issues with you in a businesslike way,” Putin said.