Armenia Signals Break With Russia-Led CSTO as Kremlin Says Yerevan Is ‘Free to Leave’

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed his satisfaction on Monday at the possibility of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) expelling Armenia, stating that the nation's interest in the military alliance had been exhausted. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded, asserting that Armenia was free to withdraw from the bloc if it no longer viewed membership as serving its national interests.

Pashinyan informed parliament that his government had no plans to resume active participation in the CSTO within the next five years. He claimed that Armenia had raised concerns with the organization but received no satisfactory answers. "I can say with confidence that we will not intensify our activities within the organization," Pashinyan declared.

He further suggested that the CSTO itself should consider removing Armenia from its ranks, as this would liberate the country from the dilemma of deciding whether to withdraw or not.

Armenia had previously frozen its involvement in CSTO activities in 2024, criticizing the Russian-led alliance for failing to meet Yerevan's security expectations. Kremlin spokesman Peskov maintained that Armenia could formally withdraw if it deemed membership in the organization no longer necessary for its national security. He noted that Armenia had only frozen its participation without formally withdrawing.

The conflict between Yerevan and Moscow intensified further as Armenia began preparing a formal application to join the European Union. Pashinyan announced that Armenia would likely initiate this process in the near future, driven by urgent requests from EAEU partners. A referendum on EU membership would follow once Armenia formally applied and gained clarity on accession requirements and necessary reforms.

In 2025, Armenia's parliament passed legislation to launch the EU membership process. Pashinyan also highlighted Russia's restrictions on Armenian exports, which contravene EAEU rules and have created a crisis within the Moscow-led economic bloc. Kremlin spokesman Peskov argued that EU and EAEU rules on trade, customs, and sanitary standards were incompatible, warning that moving towards European standards would create "deep contradictions" for Armenia.

He also referenced Turkey's long-standing EU membership bid as an example of potential challenges faced by Armenia.