Russian President Vladimir Putin asked Armenia to clarify "as soon as possible" whether it intends to join the European Union. The comment was made at a time when relations between Moscow and Yerevan have been deteriorating progressively.
According to Putin, Armenia's potential accession to the EU would symbolically represent "in practice" the country's exit from the Eurasian Economic Union, an economic bloc led by Russia that includes other post-Soviet economies.
Armenia has been moving closer to the European Union and the West in recent years, in a significant shift from its traditional alignment with Moscow. This rapprochement has caused tension in bilateral relations between Armenia and Russia.
The Eurasian Economic Union is an economic bloc formed by mostly Russian-speaking countries, created to promote economic integration among the former Soviet republics under Moscow's leadership.
