Russia accuses its ally of becoming a “platform for a terrorist” after welcoming Volodymyr Zelensky
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that it was “incomprehensible” that Armenia hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for this week's European Political Community summit and warned Yerevan against seeking closer ties with the EU, according to AFP, cited by The Moscow Times.
“The Russian society, with deep indignation and bewilderment, not only saw, but remembered that Armenia, which we are used to consider a friendly, brotherly country, served as a platform. For whom? For a terrorist,” said Maria Zaharova, in a weekly press briefing.
Since launching the war against Ukraine, Russian officials have repeatedly labeled President Zelensky and Ukrainian officials as “terrorists,” accusations Ukrainian officials have described as unsubstantiated war propaganda.
“The current illegitimate regime in Kiev issued threats to strike Moscow during the annual parade on May 9, a sacred day for our peoples (…). And no one in the current leadership of Armenia reprimanded Zelenskiy. So, whose side of history are you on?”, she added.
The position of the Armenian government
Also on Thursday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian told reporters: “During 2022-2023, we have already stated that, as far as the Ukraine issue is concerned, we are not an ally of Russia.”
Later, he stated that he would not participate in the Victory Day parade in Moscow on Saturday, citing the need to prepare for the parliamentary elections on June 7.
Maria Zaharova also criticized the joint statement that Armenia and the EU adopted on Tuesday, which recognizes Yerevan's aspiration to join the EU bloc and deepens cooperation on economic and security issues.
“Such a path followed by the Armenian authorities will sooner or later lead to the irreversible involvement of Yerevan in the anti-Russian line of Brussels, with all the political and economic consequences arising from it for Armenia,” threatened the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Tensions in relations between Armenia and Russia
In 2024, the South Caucasus nation of 3 million people froze its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russian-led military alliance it accused of failing to protect ethnic Armenians during Azerbaijan's 2023 takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh.
In 2025, Armenia passed a law formally declaring its intention to apply for EU membership, angering the Kremlin.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Prime Minister Pashinyan in April that Armenia cannot be part of both the EU and the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union at the same time.
