Putin has been ABANDONED! The Kremlin is LOSING a partner. Armenia has BROKEN with Russia

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]Now we will talk about the country that is trying to get into to rebuild a certain kind of network. In Armenia on the eve of parliamentary elections tensions with Russia are escalating. The Kremlin is openly threatening Yerevan with economic sanctions because of its move toward closer ties with the European Union. And Moscow has already begun to restrict the import of Armenian products. Meanwhile, Yerevan is expanding cooperation with the United States seeking alternatives for Russian energy. Can Armenia break free from the Kremlin's influence? Our report explains.

[00:00:31]>> Arguments, disputes, and even threats. A new round in Russian-Armenian relations.

[00:00:36]Russian dictator Putin has unleashed new threats against Yerevan.

[00:00:40]He claims he could effectively destroy its economy. All because of Armenia's aspirations for European integration.

[00:00:48]>> Right now it is practically impossible to combine one with the other overnight.

[00:00:53]Therefore, we will be forced to and not just somewhere, but essentially to roll back almost all our work with Armenia in the economic sphere, particularly regarding integration processes.

[00:01:03]>> Moscow has imposed temporary restrictions on the import of berries and fresh vegetables. And earlier the Russians also allegedly found violations in Armenian brandy, wines, and mineral water. And they banned the import of these goods. And the Russian Minister of Energy, Sergey Tsivilyov, sent a letter to his Armenian counterpart. He threatened to reconsider agreements on the supply of gas, petroleum products, and diamonds if Yerevan continues to deepen its cooperation with the EU.

[00:01:32]>> The current steps, the deepening of Armenia's cooperation with the EU, and the aspiration to join European Union put at risk the preservation and development of the high level of Russian-Armenian cooperation, one of the foundations of which is bilateral international agreements. Where is this in the document? Tsivilyov emphasizes that Yerevan's attempts to join the EU do not correspond to the nature of the partnership that has been built over decades.

[00:01:58]>> Armenia is completely dependent on Russian gas and receives it at a discount. A few days ago, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov directly warned that the discount could be canceled if Armenia leaves the Eurasian Economic Union.

[00:02:12]The situation with oil products is somewhat different for Yerevan. Armenia buys gasoline from various countries, even from Azerbaijan.

[00:02:22]This week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio flew to Armenia, met with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, and signed a number of agreements.

[00:02:32]In particular, they discussed cooperation on creating the so-called trip corridor through Armenian territory to connect Azerbaijan with its exclave in Nakhchivan, and consequently, the construction of oil and gas infrastructure.

[00:02:47]>> Today in Yerevan, the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and I announced the signing of a bilateral framework agreement regarding the Trump route for international peace and prosperity.

[00:02:57]In addition, we signed a charter on strategic partnership and a memorandum of understanding on critical minerals.

[00:03:04]This contributes to achieving the goals and fulfilling the tasks defined during the historic peace summit between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

[00:03:11]We also discussed the peace process and the upcoming elections in Armenia.

[00:03:15]>> Meanwhile, on the eve, Russia recalled its ambassador from Armenia for further consultations. Allegedly, it's all because of the Armenian leadership strengthening partnership with Brussels and the EEU countries Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.

[00:03:31]As a result, it was in Astana that Armenia was urged to determine its geostrategic course through a referendum.

[00:03:38]But current polls show that three out of four Armenians mostly support a course toward Europe.

[00:03:44]>> The poll results also indicate a consistent interest in Armenia's relations with the European Union.

[00:03:50]Approximately three quarters of respondents approve of Armenia's possible accession to the EU.

[00:03:56]Specifically, 38% strongly support membership, while 37% remain somewhat in favor of it.

[00:04:03]>> Armenia is set to hold parliamentary elections on June 7th.

[00:04:07]Reuters notes that, in order to prevent Yerevan from pivoting toward the West, Russia has launched a disinformation campaign.

[00:04:15]The Kremlin plans to bring members of the diaspora from Russia to Armenia, who will vote for the preferred candidate.

[00:04:22]But, the polls show otherwise. The party of pro-Western Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is ahead of the pro-Russian opposition.

[00:04:30]Veronika Yavorshenko, InterTV Channel details Marathon United News.

[00:04:35]>> Now, let's continue our discussion on the developments in the South Caucasus and Russia's influence on this region.

[00:04:40]We will discuss this with our guest. Let me remind you, Oleksiy Buryachenko, professor at the Kyiv Aviation Institute and president of the International Institute for Security Studies, is with us in the studio today.

[00:04:52]So, Oleksiy, in the context of our conversation in this segment about network building, especially regarding these new network structures, thank you for that.

[00:05:02]What is Armenia doing right now, if we look at it from a more reflective perspective?

[00:05:07]>> That is exactly what it is trying to build.

[00:05:09]>> To exit the old network and structure?

[00:05:11]>> To leave the old paradigm. Well, I wouldn't exactly say that.

[00:05:15]>> Both logic and philosophy.

[00:05:17]>> And to seamlessly integrate and function within sophisticated modern network environments that are mutually balancing and maintaining stability.

[00:05:26]systems Why? Because much of our local mass media during the period leading up to the national elections in Armenia says that many things in Armenia are steadily moving forward along the strategic path of European integration.

[00:05:42]Here, to be honest, I think it's a bit exaggerated.

[00:05:45]In Armenia, it is certainly declared that this is the path toward the European Union. This was even established at the legislative level.

[00:05:53]Last year, Prime Minister Pashinyan formalized it.

[00:05:57]But in my opinion, this is simply being used as a tool.

[00:06:01]Armenia just wants to break away using various instruments.

[00:06:04]And here comes European integration. One of the ways to do this is to move away from the Russian Federation.

[00:06:10]But it's not exclusively achieved through European integration.

[00:06:13]It's also through the deliberate construction of some kind of stable enduring structure in the South Caucasus serving fundamentally and primarily as the only not central, not alternative, but the absolute only mechanism of the middle corridor.

[00:06:26]Which is to say, more specifically, connections between Europe and Asia.

[00:06:30]That is, the creation of a new Eurasia.

[00:06:33]Because in fact, there are a few different options that can be found across the land routes, Iran, the Russian Federation, but they are not relevant, obviously.

[00:06:42]So, what exactly remains for us? What remains is the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, and accordingly, the regions of Central Asia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey.

[00:06:53]And then, of course, we reach the continent of Europe. That is the stability of this region.

[00:06:58]And here, it's important.

[00:06:59]This region is of interest to many different players. And what does Russian influence in Armenia mean? Specifically, what is it that Putin wants to restore?

[00:07:07]It is fundamentally about controlling >> the corridor logistics, global geopolitics, NEC, and the economic factors.

[00:07:15]>> These are the same prescriptions. It's blackmail.

[00:07:18]>> It's >> the card in Putin's hand, and he will use it to blackmail, first and foremost, whoever he can, but not Armenia itself.

[00:07:25]He will blackmail Europe. That's one.

[00:07:28]Because Europe is placing a lot of bets on the South Caucasus region, specifically regarding its energy component and energy stability, especially against the backdrop of the Middle East as a whole.

[00:07:38]>> He will blackmail China.

[00:07:40]>> That is right.

[00:07:41]>> China. If possible.

[00:07:42]>> Yes, of course, that's no problem.

[00:07:44]>> Because there is no alternative.

[00:07:46]Or.

[00:07:48]Russia.

[00:07:48]>> Well.

[00:07:49]>> Or Russia. China won't cross Russia as these.

[00:07:51]>> Premium high quality products.

[00:07:53]>> Of course, they even tried to build a railway there, but after the aggression, that project was immediately frozen. And what about Iran? They also won't go, despite the fact that they're supposedly on good terms. Their relations are normal, but the region is still unstable. So, China has no other options.

[00:08:09]Well, and the United States of America.

[00:08:12]Because the key element, the reason why Marco Rubio himself came.

[00:08:16]>> This Trump is just like the heel of a song. Yes.

[00:08:19]>> The Zangezur corridor, let's call it a classic story that was renamed as a corridor named after.

[00:08:24]>> President Donald J. Trump.

[00:08:26]>> But even back in Soviet times, this was already laid down. A complicated history and Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic hotspot, a point of constant ongoing conflict.

[00:08:37]And the passage through the territory of Azerbaijan to the exclave to Nakhchivan and accordingly to the central territory. In other words, everything there was set up so that the conflict would last forever.

[00:08:47]And for ages, the moderator of these conflicts was the Russian Federation, back then still the Soviet Union.

[00:08:53]Now, they're just trying to pull all of this under their own control again.

[00:08:58]That's why Armenia right now is not just about the Armenian people.

[00:09:02]About their aspiration for democracy, for democratic values.

[00:09:06]>> That's.

[00:09:07]>> Facade and pretty.

[00:09:08]>> Words.

[00:09:09]>> It's that too, among other things.

[00:09:10]>> That's not important.

[00:09:11]>> But it's a big tangle of geopolitical and geo-economic interests.

[00:09:15]And now, Armenia is truly becoming a point of resistance.

[00:09:19]The whole world, and here it no longer divides into democratic or non-democratic, is against the Russian Federation.

[00:09:26]And so, taking all this history into account, I am deeply convinced, especially now that even Trump officially gave his support a few days ago.

[00:09:35]Pashinyan accordingly in the elections, which after all is very likely, the influence of the Russian Federation will weaken both in Armenia and in the South Caucasus region. Because Armenians understand perfectly well that if they once again choose the wrong path of rapprochement with Russia, they will be heading down a road of deception and betrayal.

[00:09:57]Because it was precisely the Russian Federation that dragged them into the first Karabakh war, the second Karabakh war, and gave them, accordingly, weapons, quarreled them with all their neighbors, and plunged Armenia into a deep economic crisis.

[00:10:11]Therefore, in all their current problems, the Russian Federation itself is primarily to blame.

[00:10:17]And I am deeply convinced that Armenians do not need this explained to them. They know all of this perfectly well themselves.

[00:10:24]And regarding the European Union, Alexy, these are obvious things. And Armenia is very far from the European Union, and the European Union right now is definitely not focused on Armenia. Thank you. But they will definitely move closer, simply developing in order to reduce Russia's role.

[00:10:40]>> Yes, Russia's role and the reduction of the influence of this geographical factor in the modern world.

[00:10:46]>> Of course. By the way, there's something interesting about Armenia.

[00:10:50]>> Uh little time.

[00:10:51]>> How many seconds? 30?

[00:10:52]>> 30 seconds.

[00:10:53]>> Seconds. Armenia has now started a very interesting diversification. They are trying to build a new railway. They are moving away from Russian influence.

[00:11:01]Russia has now essentially declared economic war on them. They blocked their agricultural products. The same thing happened with >> They even arranged to bring Armenians from Russia just to vote.

[00:11:10]>> So that 100,000 people would vote.

[00:11:13]To sell them gas at European prices.

[00:11:16]As for Armenia, they say, "Okay, we will integrate the railway route of Georgia and Turkey directly into the European markets, which are much wealthier.

[00:11:25]Maybe at the first stage we will sell less, but at a higher price.

[00:11:28]And accordingly, all of this will balance out. Moreover, they usually direct additional a strengthened railway branch toward Iran.

[00:11:38]And just a few days ago at the parade in Armenia, besides the traditional Russian weaponry present there, we saw weaponry from France, India, and Iran, including a new air defense system.

[00:11:50]>> Oleksiy, thank you very much. Well, it's interesting. Uh sometimes it's necessary to talk about big and broad topics. Do you understand what I mean about ideas and about how the world is changing?

[00:11:59]Oleksiy Buryachenko, professor at the Kyiv Aviation Institute, president of the International Institute here of Security Studies, was our guest today.

[00:12:06]Thank you very much. We look forward to having you again.

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