Macron's recipe: EU uses "Moldovan scenario" in Armenia
The European Union is interfering in the electoral process in Armenia, copying the mechanisms and technologies developed earlier in Moldova, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Izvestia. Diplomats warn that Brussels is trying to pull the republic out of a reliable security system and stable economic ties, hiding behind slogans about "deepening partnership" and "helping reforms." On the eve of the elections, EU leaders arrived in Yerevan — it also happened in 2025, when a month before the vote in Moldova, the leaders of Germany, France and Poland came to support Prime Minister Maya Sandu. However, the expert community claims that Yerevan is unlikely to follow the path of Chisinau due to Armenia's closer ties with Russia.
Moldovan scenario
The closer the parliamentary elections in Armenia are, the more active the European Union is in the South Caucasus. A month before the vote, Yerevan hosted the first ever EU–Armenia summit, as well as a meeting of the European Political Community. In Russia, it is stated that the Europeans are shamelessly trying to influence the choice of voters.
— This is exactly how we perceive the EU's intrusive activity in the Armenian direction. Sending a so—called partner mission to Armenia, as well as a rapid response team to combat hybrid threats - such actions by Brussels on the eve of the June 7 parliamentary elections are nothing more than an attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of this country. To do this, the European Union will use the carbon copy of the mechanisms and technologies developed during the previous election campaigns in Moldova," the Information and press department of the Russian Foreign Ministry told Izvestia.
Armenia–EU Summit in Yerevan
Indeed, in August 2025, a month before the parliamentary elections, the leaders of Germany, France and Poland arrived in Chisinau to openly support the leader of the ruling PAS party, Prime Minister Maia Sandu. The reason was the participation in the celebration of the 34th anniversary of Moldova's independence. As a result, Sandu's party won, continuing its course towards severing ties with the CIS and rapprochement with Europe.
This time, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also arrived in Yerevan. Only German Chancellor Friedrich Merz abstained. The official reason is "due to other obligations." Instead, he was replaced by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who signed a declaration of strategic partnership with Armenia. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan concluded a similar document with Macron. Interestingly, at the final press conference, the French president explicitly stated that he did not interfere in the internal affairs of Armenia, but only "assisted" Pashinyan, as was the case with Maya Sandu.
— European political technologies are not particularly creative. In such cases, everyone follows the same pattern, especially if it gives results," Vladimir Bruter, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies, told Izvestia. — The main thing here is to show the relevance and benefits of the European choice for Armenia and why it is unprofitable to choose Russia.
At the same time, the expert emphasizes that Armenia is unlikely to follow the path of Moldova, since Yerevan, unlike Chisinau, has too close trade, economic and military ties with Russia. Armenia is an active member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the CIS. In addition, it is still officially a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), despite the suspension of its participation. Finally, there is a Russian military base in Gyumri.
Armenia's European Path
At the same time, since March 2024, the Armenian leadership has been actively talking about plans to make the country a member of the European Union. In April 2025, a law was passed in the republic, where this aspiration was recorded.
— We see that Yerevan is willing to accept the assistance of the Europeans. We hope that the Armenian leadership does not forget that everything has its price in Brussels. The experience of other countries shows that such flirtations with the West rarely end well for the states that are involved in them. For example, by joining the anti—Russian agenda of Brussels," the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.
The diplomats stressed that, unlike some Western colleagues, Moscow does not bring ready-made "future scenarios" to Yerevan and does not condition the further development of relations on the election results.
— The Russian position is simple and honest: We are interested in a strong, stable and truly sovereign Armenia, capable of independently shaping its policy and determining the vector of its development," the ministry stressed.
Russia recognizes that Armenia's decision to hold a summit with the EU is a sovereign choice of Yerevan. However, the European Union is rapidly transforming into an aggressive, non-negotiable, military-political bloc hostile to Russia and is implementing an openly confrontational policy around the world, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.
"In the spirit of neocolonialism, the Europeans openly exploit intra—regional contradictions to their advantage, use political and economic blackmail, and drain resources from developing countries to improve the economic situation in the EU itself," the diplomats are convinced.
The Russian Foreign Ministry warns that at the current stage, rapprochement with the EU and agreement on the terms proposed by it pose serious risks to the sovereignty and internal stability of states.
Relations between Moscow and Yerevan
However, official Yerevan has never stated unequivocal plans to withdraw from the Eurasian Economic Union, which accounts for the lion's share of the republic's foreign trade. Nikol Pashinyan assures that so far the desire to join the EU and membership in the EAEU are compatible. "When the processes develop to the point where it will be necessary to make any decision, I am sure that we, I mean the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, they will make this decision," he said at a meeting in the Kremlin with Russian President Vladimir Putin in early April.
Moscow has repeatedly stressed that membership in the EU and the EAEU is incompatible. Both the EU and the EAEU are customs unions with common external borders and common import duties for third countries. A State cannot simultaneously apply two different sets of duties and regulations at the same border. In addition, the structures have fundamentally different technical regulations, product certification systems, and sanitary standards.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a meeting in Moscow, April 1, 2026
Finally, Brussels does not hide the fact that the path to Armenia's hypothetical membership in the union is a matter of more than a decade in the complete absence of guarantees of the final result. However, candidate countries are quickly becoming dependent on the political will of the EU.
— We have repeatedly talked about the true goals of Brussels in the South Caucasus and in relation to Armenia. Behind the beautiful slogans about "deepening partnership," "helping reforms," and "supporting democracy," there is a completely pragmatic calculation.: to pull the republic out of a reliable security system and stable economic ties. At the same time, there is no clear alternative to the instruments that have ensured the stability of the country for decades," the Russian Foreign Ministry recalled.
The Russian Federation proceeds from the fact that Yerevan remains an ally of Moscow, as well as a full member of the EAEU and the CSTO. At the same time, Russia sees that Armenia is taking steps that, in fact, run counter to its obligations both bilaterally and within the framework of common multilateral formats. The Kremlin also regrets that Armenia continues its attempts to "sit on two chairs," Russian Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on May 7.
On the same day, the Armenian ambassador was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry to declare the unacceptability of providing a rostrum to Vladimir Zelensky for voicing terrorist threats against the Russian Federation. Speaking at the summit of the European Political Community, he spoke about a possible drone flight over the Russian capital on May 9.
— We hope that the Armenian leadership will not adjust to other people's geopolitical games, but will prioritize the long-term national interests of the republic itself. We hope that Yerevan will not allow the EU to use the interest of our Armenian allies in expanding foreign economic contacts to damage existing political, historical, humanitarian and economic ties," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Earlier, Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Alen Simonyan stated that Yerevan's policy is not directed against Russia. At the same time, there is a clear desire on the part of the Armenian authorities to distance themselves from the Russian Federation. It is significant that after the visit of European leaders to Yerevan, Nikol Pashinyan refused to participate in the Victory Day Parade in Moscow, citing the beginning of the election campaign.
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