EU leaders deepen ties with Armenia but stop short of endorsing membership

The European Union’s two top officials pledged in Yerevan on Tuesday to deepen ties with Armenia but stopped short of backing the eventual EU membership sought by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s government.

European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met Pashinian for the first-ever EU–Armenia Summit, held a day after a separate European Political Community gathering in the Armenian capital. “Armenia and the European Union are closer than ever,” von der Leyen said.

Costa called the meeting “an important milestone in the deepening of partnership between the European Union and Armenia,” praising Pashinian for having “changed radically the conditions of your country” and lauding his “vision for the democratic, resilient and prosperous Armenia.” The warm rhetoric is likely to reinforce the Armenian opposition’s perception of the European summits in Yerevan as an endorsement of Pashinian ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for June 7.

Over the weekend, the Hayastan alliance, one of the main opposition contenders, accused the EU of effectively meddling in “Armenia’s internal political processes,” pointing to the impending deployment of two EU missions aimed at helping Yerevan address “hybrid threats” from abroad, presumably Russia.

Costa said the missions would bolster the authorities’ “crisis response capacities and contribute to the country’s long-term stability.” Opposition leaders claim the initiatives could be used to legitimize possible election fraud or foul play.

Activists from Hayastan and the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia staged small protests during the summits, accusing the EU of turning a blind eye to what they describe as a pre-election crackdown on the opposition for geopolitical considerations. Amid mounting tensions with Russia, Pashinian’s administration has sought to reorient Armenia toward the West.

Last year it enacted a law declaring the “start of a process of Armenia’s accession to the European Union.” No EU member state or institution has officially voiced support for that prospect.

In a joint declaration with Pashinian, Costa and von der Leyen took note of the law but did not encourage Yerevan to submit a formal membership bid, saying only that the 27-nation bloc “acknowledges the European aspirations of the Armenian people.” Pashinian reiterated that Yerevan’s “immediate objective is to conform to EU standards.” He told reporters: “If they admit us to the EU, we will be happy with that.

If they don’t, we will still be in a beneficial position as Armenia will be a country meeting EU standards.” Russia has repeatedly warned that Armenia risks losing vital tariff-free access to the Russian market and a significant discount on the price of Russian natural gas if it continues to pursue EU membership.

President Vladimir Putin publicly repeated those warnings during an April 1 meeting with Pashinian at the Kremlin. Russia remained Armenia’s largest trading partner last year, accounting for 35.8 percent of its foreign trade, followed by China at 12.3 percent and the EU at 11.7 percent.

Armenian exports to Russia totaled nearly $3 billion in 2025. EU officials avoided commenting on potential retaliatory measures implied by Putin’s warnings or openly accusing Moscow of posing “hybrid threats” to Armenia. They also did not promise additional economic aid to the Armenian government.

As Costa put it, “We look forward to continuing this vital work together in the years ahead.” The exchanges come ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections on June 7.