Kremlin threatens Armenia with gas price hike over EU ambitions

Russia has warned Armenia it could lose access to cheap Russian gas if it pursues closer ties with the European Union. Despite historically close relations with Moscow, Armenia has announced plans to join the EU.

The Kremlin issued a stark economic warning to Armenia on Monday, stating that Yerevan risks losing access to discounted Russian natural gas if it continues its push toward European Union membership. The threat underscores growing tensions between Moscow and its former ally as Armenia increasingly turns westward.

Armenia has maintained deep economic and security ties with Russia for decades, including membership in Russian-led institutions such as the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union. However, Armenian leadership has signaled a clear intention to pursue EU accession, a path that Moscow views as a direct challenge to its regional influence.

The Kremlin's warning over gas prices is seen as a pressure tactic designed to deter Armenia from deepening its relationship with Brussels. Russia has used energy leverage as a geopolitical tool against multiple former Soviet states in the past, most notably Ukraine, making the threat a familiar instrument in Moscow's foreign policy toolkit.

Armenia has been steadily distancing itself from Russia since the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, during which Russian-led security guarantees failed to materialize. The country's frustration with Moscow deepened further after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, accelerating Yerevan's pivot toward Western institutions.

The EU has expressed support for Armenia's membership aspirations, and Brussels has been expanding financial and political engagement with Yerevan. How Armenia navigates the threat of losing subsidized Russian gas — a significant economic burden if removed — will be a critical test of its resolve to break from Moscow's orbit.