Russia accuses Armenia of giving Zelenskiy platform for anti-Russian remarks

Russia sharpened its criticism of Armenia after Volodymyr Zelenskiy used a high-profile gathering in Yerevan to deliver remarks Moscow viewed as hostile, underscoring how sensitive the Kremlin has become to one of its former allies drifting westward.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the move was unacceptable and said Moscow expected an explanation from Armenia. Russian officials also summoned Armenia’s ambassador and described Zelenskiy’s comments at the Yerevan event as “absolutely inadmissible,” with one Russian account characterizing them as “terrorist threats against Russia” voiced at an EU-sponsored gathering.

The confrontation followed the European Political Community summit in Yerevan on May 4, the eighth EPC meeting and the first ever held in the South Caucasus. More than 40 heads of state and government attended the summit, which was co-chaired by European Council President António Costa and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. It came immediately before the first-ever EU-Armenia bilateral summit on May 4-5, placing Armenia at the center of Europe’s diplomatic map for two days.

For Moscow, the issue was bigger than one speech. Zelenskiy’s trip was his first visit to Armenia, and his presence alongside European leaders in Yerevan fed a growing Russian suspicion that Armenia is sliding into what the Kremlin sees as the European Union’s anti-Russian orbit. Mark Carney attended as a guest, adding to the sense that Armenia was hosting a broad Western-facing diplomatic event rather than a narrow regional meeting.

The dispute lands at a fragile moment in Armenia-Russia relations. Armenia froze its participation in the CSTO in 2024 after what it saw as Russian inaction in regional crises. Analysts point to October 8, 2024, when Vladimir Putin met Pashinyan in Moscow, as a turning point in a limited thaw after earlier tensions over Russia’s response to the September 2022 incursions into Armenian territory and Azerbaijan’s September 2023 military operation in Karabakh despite the presence of Russian peacekeepers.

That history explains why Yerevan may be willing to absorb Kremlin anger now. Armenia still faces hard security realities, but its leaders have been widening their diplomatic options and seeking new partners in Europe. With parliamentary elections planned for June 2026, Pashinyan’s government is likely to keep balancing Russian pressure against the political and strategic value of closer ties with Europe, even as Moscow watches more closely and complains more loudly.