Think about it: Putin listed the points that Armenia will lose from leaving th

Liana Toganian
Eurasia Daily
May 29 2026
May 29th, 2026
19:24

At this moment, Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding a press conference in Astana following his visit to Kazakhstan. In his speech, in the first minutes he touched upon the situation with Armenia’s withdrawal from the EAEU and its future prospects. Here are the main statements of the Russian leader.

  • The Russian and Armenian peoples have been linked by bonds of friendship and special relations for centuries.
  • Any decisions that will be taken by Yerevan will not spoil the ties between Russia and Armenia.
  • The crisis on Ukraine started with a similar situation to what is happening with Armenia now.
  • Armenia now has access to a large and developed market of the EAEU, but if it starts to switch to EU standards, integration with it will objectively have to be curtailed.
  • Armenia will lose 14% of GDP, as energy prices will have to be raised.
  • Energy benefits are not the only advantage of the EAEU for Armenia. The share of Russian capital investments in the republic is above 86%.
  • Rail transportation tariffs for Armenia will have to be increased from the current domestic ones.
  • Armenia will not be able to import its agricultural products to Russia, and where will it send it?
  • In case of withdrawal from the EAEU, the usual requirements for migrants will begin to apply to Armenian citizens.

In conclusion, Vladimir Putin noted that the EAEU would ask Armenia to hold a referendum on EU membership as early as possible.

More details: https://eadaily.com/en/news/2026/05/29/think-about-it-putin-listed-the-points-that-armenia-will-lose-from-leaving-the-eaeu

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Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union urges Armenian referendum

Ophelia Vardapetian
Euronews
May 29 2026
By Peter Barabas & Aleksandar Brezar
Published on 29/05/2026 – 20:21 GMT+2

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) leaders gathered at a summit in Astana and urged Yerevan to choose between the Russia-led union and the EU, as the 7 June Armenian election emerges as a pivotal moment in the geopolitical evolution of the South Caucasus.

In the run-up to Armenia’s decisive 7 June elections, Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) leaders issued a joint statement warning Armenia that its EU accession plans pose “serious risks” to the economic security of all EAEU countries.

During their summit in Astana on Friday, the leaders of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan called on Yerevan to hold a national referendum as soon as possible on Armenia’s choice between the EU and the Moscow-led bloc.

They warned Yerevan that its move towards EU accession may lead to the country’s suspension from the organisation and launched a so-called formal review into Armenia’s membership in view of a possible suspension by December.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already touted the idea of a referendum on Armenia’s future, saying earlier that it would be “quite logical … to ask the Armenian citizens what their choice would be.”

“Based on that, we would make our own choice as well,” he said at the time.

On Friday Putin also repeated an earlier parallel he made between Ukraine and Armenia, telling the gathered press that “the crisis in Ukraine began at one point with Ukraine’s attempts to join the EU.”

Putin has previously said that membership in both blocs was “impossible”.

Yerevan supports ‘mutually beneficial cooperation’

Armenia was represented at the Moscow-led union summit by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was busy with the election campaign for the 7 June elections.

A video from the summit showed Putin shaking hands with Grigoryan while greeting the other leaders.

The EAEU statement was conveyed to Grigoryan, who told the summit that Armenia “remains committed to constructive participation in the EAEU based on mutual respect, equal partnership, and consideration of all members’ national interests,” and that Yerevan supports “mutually beneficial cooperation”.

Armenia has consistently maintained that it does not plan to withdraw from the EAEU but will continue its pro-EU course.

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk asked for patience when asked if there has been any movement on the matter during the summit, adding that the situation is “not so straightforward.”

Meanwhile on Friday, Russia continued to increase its pressure on Pashinyan’s government ahead of the defining Armenian elections, announcing that it would impose “temporary restrictions” on Armenian exports of certain fruits and vegetables, adding to the recent bans on Armenian mineral water, wines and brandy.

Russia’s restrictions come as the Kremlin has ramped up its repeated warnings to Yerevan over its pro-Western path, threatening to end its cheap gas and oil supplies, which are vital to Armenia, and to show Armenians the consequences of a possible Pashinyan victory on 7 June.

“I told Pashinyan, ‘Everything that is acceptable and good for the Armenians is acceptable and good for Russia. Do as you think is good for the Armenian people,” Putin said at the summit on Friday.

“Our people are connected by centuries of friendship and nothing can damage our humanitarian ties. But, there are questions that are purely economic.”

“It is not possible to reconcile the standards of the EU with the standards of the EAEU. That is why we shall be forced to roll back all our economic activities in Armenia” if it were to move closer to the 27-member bloc, Putin told reporters at the end of the summit in Astana.

Related
  • Trump endorses Pashinyan ahead of Armenia’s high-stakes, historic elections
  • US and Armenia pledge to move forward on economic corridor during Rubio visit

Amid widespread allegations of Russian interference in Armenia’s election campaign and support for the Armenian opposition, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that Armenia conveyed informally to Moscow the message that certain Russian officials were not welcome as election observers.

Putin’s words right after Trump’s endorsement

The EAEU statement only mentioned Armenia’s pro-EU course, but it comes just one day after US President Donald Trump gave Pashinyan his “complete and total endorsement” for re-election, describing him as “a great friend and leader” who is making Armenia “strong, wealthy, and very secure.”

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Yerevan, where he and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan signed a strategic partnership framework, a critical minerals memorandum of understanding, and a cooperation agreement on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity — known as TRIPP — a transit corridor linking Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave through southern Armenia.

Trump linked his endorsement directly to Rubio’s visit, saying the US and Armenia would “soon break ground” on the TRIPP corridor, which he said would “transform the South Caucasus” and open energy access from Central Asia to the US.

Standing next to Trump at the White House on Wednesday, Rubio described the critical minerals deal as “a reminder of another war President Trump helped settle,” referring to the historic Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement Pashinyan signed with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev at the White House last year.

“We are seeing the emergence of a great new relationship with Armenia,” Rubio added.

Pashinyan thanked Trump for the endorsement on X, posting the US and Armenian flags side by side.

—

Firebird to Join Armenia’s National Education Efforts to Support AI-Native Le

Garo Vardanian
Weekly Voice
May 29 2026

Firebird to launch the Firebird Labs, an innovation platform that will invest in, incubate, and co-develop high-ambition technical ventures in Armenia.

YEREVAN, ARMENIA, May 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — • OpenAI, The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia, and Firebird are partnering to position Armenia as a global hub for AI-driven education, research, startups, innovation, and venture creation
• OpenAI is supporting the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport & Firebird Labs’ vision by providing technology access and technical support to ensure the benefits of AI extend to learners across the country

Firebird today announced the launch of Firebird Labs, an innovation platform that will invest in, incubate, and co-develop high-ambition technical ventures in Armenia. As first part of the launch, Firebird and The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia are bringing AI access to 50,000 students, teachers, and researchers in Armenia, expanding access to frontier AI tools across the country’s engineering and research community. OpenAI is supporting the initiative by providing technology access, team support and API credits.

The initiative marks a significant milestone in Armenia’s emergence as a global center for AI-driven education and innovation. Through this partnership, founders, engineers, and researchers will gain access to world-class AI tools, infrastructure, and expertise, enabling them to build globally competitive companies and contribute to the next wave of technological innovation.

“The future of technology is not something that will happen years from now. It is being shaped today, in classrooms, universities, and research communities around the world. We believe that meaningful investment in education is one of the most important investments a country can make, especially in the era of artificial intelligence. Armenia has extraordinary talent, and giving students, educators, and researchers access to the world’s most advanced AI tools can help unlock a new generation of innovators and builders. What makes this initiative especially important is the partnership behind it. This is about more than technology, it’s about Armenia’s future,” said Alexander Yesayan, Co-Founder of Firebird.

“Armenia has one of the highest concentrations of engineering talent in the region, supported by a government that is actively investing in its future as a global technology hub,” added Razmig Hovaghimian, Co-Founder and CEO of Firebird. “With Firebird Labs, we aim to give a new generation of builders access to frontier AI models and world-class compute infrastructure so they can innovate and compete on equal footing with the world’s leading AI teams.”

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Jayna Devani, International Education Lead at OpenAI, added, “Intelligence is becoming a national utility and education has an important role to play in making sure people have both access to the tools and the skills to use them well. With Firebird’s investment in AI infrastructure and long-term commitment to Armenia’s innovation ecosystem, this collaboration brings together the country’s strong talent base, frontier tools like ChatGPT and Codex, and practical support for students, educators and researchers to help close capability gaps and strengthen the foundations for globally competitive innovation.”

Armenia is joining a group of leading countries advancing the use of Codex and ChatGPT Edu, designed for academic institutions, providing access to OpenAI’s latest models with enterprise-grade security and controls. This initiative will support universities and educators in integrating AI into teaching and research, helping prepare a new generation for a technology-driven future, following successful implementation in other countries and at leading institutions such as Harvard University and the University of Oxford.

“Armenia, like many advanced nations, also sees its future in technological development, and that future must be built on a strong and modern education system. We welcome this initiative, which expands access to artificial intelligence tools and creates new opportunities for our universities, educators, and students. The introduction of ChatGPT Edu and the development of AI-driven learning environments bring Armenia closer to leading global institutions, where such technologies are already transforming education. This is an important step in preparing a new generation of professionals who will not only use technology, but help shape its future,” said Zhanna Andreasyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of the Republic of Armenia.

Firebird Labs, an innovation platform launching in Q3 2026, will invest in, incubate and co-develop high-ambition technical ventures across three strategic verticals: robotics and physical AI, aerospace, and life sciences. Firebird Labs targets five ventures per year, working with deeply technical teams over longer time horizons than a traditional startup program.

Selected participants (Frontier Fellows) will receive a comprehensive set of resources from Firebird, including:

• Access to the latest OpenAI technology to build during our upcoming hackathon, including Codex and API credits
• Firebird and OpenAI mentoring and technical support
• Dedicated GPU capacity from Firebird, scaling up to 1,000 GPUs, reserved for Frontier Fellows in 2027
• Structured research partnerships with leading Armenian, U.S. and European universities
• Firebird’s operational infrastructure, physical workspace, and ecosystem support in partnership with AI9 Startup Campus
• Participation in hackathons, global events, and potential investment opportunities

Details on upcoming hackathons, the competitive selection process, and opportunities to officially apply will be announced at a later stage. Participants will also gain access to major international events and may be considered for joint investment from Firebird and its global partner network.

Firebird Labs is oriented around original research, technical breakthroughs, and company formation on cutting-edge compute infrastructure. Armenia’s combination of engineering talent, government commitment, clean energy, and high-potential infrastructure makes it one of the few places outside the major AI centers capable of producing globally competitive frontier companies.

Firebird holds U.S. government export authorization and operates one of the largest GPU clusters in Europe, with the capacity to scale to 250 megawatts by 2027. Firebird’s Phase 2 expansion in Armenia, announced in February 2026, targets $4 billion in investment and 50,000 GPUs by the end of 2026.

About Firebird
Firebird is a U.S. and Armenia-based AI cloud and infrastructure company designed to provide secure, scalable, and globally accessible GPU infrastructure. Its mission is to democratize access to advanced AI computing, enabling innovation across research and enterprise in both the private and

GRIGORY YURIN
Firebird
[email protected]
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—

Armenia should hold EU referendum soon, Putin and allies say

Alex Jidarian
Arab News
May 29 2026
  • Putin said it was time for Armenia to choose between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union, insisting it was “impossible to reconcile the two“
  • “Whatever decisions are made, this will not damage our humanitarian ties,” Putin said

ASTANA: Armenia should hold a referendum on EU membership “as soon as possible,” President Vladimir Putin and three Russian-allied leaders said in a statement Friday, escalating pressure on Yerevan over its deepening ties with Brussels.


Armenia is formally allied with Moscow, but has been building ties with the European Union for years amid frustration over Russia’s perceived failure to protect it during conflicts with neighboring Azerbaijan.


The Caucasus country froze its security ties with Moscow in 2024, and last year passed a law declaring its intention to seek EU membership, further angering Russia.


Armenia is still a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, the Russian-led customs union.


Putin said it was time for Armenia to choose between the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union, insisting it was “impossible to reconcile the two.”


“Prime Minister (Nikol) Pashinyan himself said that he considers it right to hold a referendum on this issue, on where Armenia should position itself: in the Eurasian Union or in the European Union. We would like this to be done as soon as possible,” Putin said at a press conference in Kazakhstan, where he was attending a summit.


In a joint statement issued earlier at the summit, Putin and the leaders of Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan warned Armenia’s moves to join the EU posed “significant risks” to the economy of Eurasian Economic Union member states.


“We share the position on the need to hold a national referendum in the Republic of Armenia as soon as possible on joining the European Union or remaining part of the Eurasian Economic Union,” the statement said.


Armenia did not immediately comment on the move.


“Whatever decisions are made, this will not damage our humanitarian ties, it will not damage our political ties,” Putin said.
Under Pashinyan, Armenia has formally pursued a strategy of what he calls “diversification,” in which the landlocked country pursues ties with both Russia and the West.

—

‘It’s Important To Get the Facts Straight’: Graham Platner Questioned the Arm

Chmshkian Vicken
Free Beacon Washington
May 29 2026

Democrats

‘It’s Important To Get the Facts Straight’: Graham Platner Questioned the Armenian Genocide in Now-Deleted Post, Called Mass Slaughter an ‘Incident’

‘I don’t think he’s going to do very well with Armenian voters in Maine,’ an Armenian human rights activist in the state said

Graham Platner (Sophie Park/Getty Images)
Jon Levine
May 29, 2026

Left-wing Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner—who’s repeatedly accused Israel of genocide—publicly questioned the Armenian genocide in a now-deleted internet post, the Washington Free Beacon can reveal.

In a June 2016 posting to Reddit, Platner responded to a thread about Germany formally recognizing the Armenian genocide, suggesting the widely accepted mass slaughter of Armenians during World War I was more complicated.

“The problem with your statement is that Turkey fully admits the Incident happened, the issue is whether it was in fact genocide or if it was mass killing/displacement,” Platner opined.

“I’m no fan of Turkey, but it’s important to get the facts straight.”

In a later post on the same topic, Platner tried to wiggle out of his past comment by clarifying that “I do in fact believe it should be termed a genocide.” But then he dug himself deeper into a hole by claiming that “while I’m no fan of the Turks, to say the actions of the Ottomans in relation to the Armenian population is the same [as Nazi Germany] is downright incorrect … To say Turks need to bury themselves in the national shame as the Germans have is just emotional pandering.”

The Armenians, who for years have been locked in a bitter diplomatic battle with Turkey over Turkey’s longtime refusal to take responsibility for the slaughter, might disagree with Platner that the Turks don’t need to feel shame.

Up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed in the genocide in 1915 and 1916, when the Ottoman Empire carried out systematic mass murder and deportation of the Armenian people. In recent decades, the Turkish government has furiously denied the genocide and used diplomatic pressure in attempts to rewrite history and keep other countries from acknowledging the atrocities.

Platner’s post prompted criticism from an Armenian human rights activist in Maine, Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, who called Platner “anti-Armenian” and said his stance on the genocide would hurt him with Armenian-Americans in the state.

“There has been denial of the Armenian genocide for over 100 years … He’s not getting my vote,” Turcotte told the Free Beacon. “I don’t think he’s going to do very well with Armenian voters in Maine.”

Platner’s nuanced approach to the Armenian “incident” contrasts sharply with his repeated and false claims that Israel is committing a genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.

“I said on the day of our campaign’s launch that the genocide in Gaza is the moral test of our time,” Platner offered in a statement on the two-year anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel which left more than 1,200 dead. Platner had additionally called the United States “complicit” in the “genocide” and has condemned U.S. military assistance to Israel.

Historians have cited the Turks’ skillful 1920s and ’30s erasure and denial of the Armenian genocide as paving the way for the Nazi extermination of the Jews.

“Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” Adolf Hitler said in 1939 as Germany’s mass murders of Jews were beginning to accelerate—in a quote which now hangs in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

In addition to Platner’s Reddit post, Turcotte criticized his January rally with Deqa Dhalac, a far-left Somali-born state representative tied to a nonprofit under congressional investigation for allegedly defrauding the state of millions of dollars in Medicaid payments. Dhalac has been criticized for her close ties to Tarlan Ahmadov, an Azerbaijani-born former Maine state official who resigned following allegations that he harbored anti-Armenian sentiment. Dhalac went on a junket organized by Ahmadov to Nagorno-Karabakh, a contested part of Azerbaijan whose original Armenian Christian population has long been brutalized by Azerbaijani Muslims.

Raising awareness of the genocide has long been a major issue for the United States’ small but influential Armenian community. In August 2019 Kim and Kourtney Kardashian and their families visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia, and have remained consistently outspoken on the issue. In 2021 President Joe Biden became the first U.S. leader to recognize the Armenian genocide, infuriating Turkey.

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Putin’s alliance threatens Armenia with suspension of membership over course t

Hambik Zargarian
UNN, Ukraine
May 29 2026

Kyiv • UNN

May 29 2026, 11:21 PM • 1056 views

EAEU countries demand Armenia hold a referendum to choose between the union and the EU. A report on the consequences of suspending Yerevan’s membership will be prepared by December.

Countries of the Eurasian Economic Union have threatened Armenia with a possible suspension of membership due to its intention to join the European Union. This was reported by Associated Press, according to UNN.

Details

During the EAEU summit in Astana, the leaders of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan stated that Yerevan’s pursuit of EU membership creates “significant risks” for the economic security of the association. Meeting participants commissioned a report to be prepared by December on the possible consequences of suspending Armenia’s membership in the union.

Russia threatens Armenia with sanctions over rapprochement with the EU; the issue will be discussed at Putin’s summit29.05.26, 08:00 • 3454 views

Furthermore, the heads of state called on Armenia to hold a referendum where citizens could choose between further movement toward the European Union and maintaining membership in the EAEU. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had previously rejected the idea of such a vote.

Elections in Armenia

The warning came on the eve of the parliamentary elections in Armenia, which will take place on June 7. In recent months, Yerevan has intensified contacts with the US and the EU, and has also suspended its participation in the Moscow-controlled Collective Security Treaty Organization. In response, Russia has already warned of a possible termination of preferential gas supplies and introduced restrictions on the import of several Armenian goods.

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Turkish Press: Russian-led bloc weighs suspending Armenia over EU push

Emma Nadirian
Turkey Today
May 29 2026

ARussian-led economic union of former Soviet republics said it would consider suspending Armenia over Yerevan’s push toward European Union membership, while calling on the country to hold a referendum on whether to join the EU or remain in the Eurasian Economic Union.

The joint statement was issued after an EAEU summit in Astana by the leaders of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. They said Armenia’s preparations for EU integration posed “significant risks” to the economic security of the bloc.

The leaders said representatives of their governments would report at the next meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in December 2026 on the possible consequences of suspending the EAEU treaty for Armenia.

EAEU leaders call for referendum

The leaders of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan said Armenia should hold a nationwide referendum as soon as possible on whether to join the EU or continue as part of the EAEU.

They said damage to the bloc linked to Armenia’s EU accession process should be prevented.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did not attend the Astana summit, citing his campaign ahead of parliamentary elections on June 7. Armenia was represented by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan.

Pashinyan has sought closer ties with the EU and the U.S. while publicly criticizing Moscow.

Armenia’s parliament passed a law on March 26, 2025, officially launching the country’s EU accession process. Pashinyan has said Yerevan does not intend to leave the EAEU and hopes to combine membership in the bloc with EU integration for as long as possible.

Moscow warns of economic consequences

Russian President Vladimir Putin said after the Astana summit that if Armenia moves toward the EU, the EAEU would be forced to scale back nearly all integration work with Yerevan in the economic sphere.

Putin said Russia and Armenia have a “special relationship,” and that Armenians must decide which direction their country should take.

“Whatever decisions are made, this will not damage our humanitarian ties; it will not damage our political ties,” Putin said. “Everything needs to be weighed up, carefully considered and a decision made.”

Putin has previously said EU integration would automatically end Armenia’s interaction with the EAEU and the benefits Yerevan has received through membership in the bloc.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier pointed to what he described as the benefits Armenia receives from EAEU membership, including stable annual growth and a lower gas price. He said European gas costs $600 per 1,000 cubic meters, while Russian gas costs $177.5.

Pressure rises before Armenian election

Russia has increased economic pressure on Armenia in recent weeks, imposing temporary restrictions on agricultural imports and threatening to halt supplies of cheap Russian oil products and gas.

The June 7 election pits Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party, which has sought closer ties with the EU and the U.S., against mostly pro-Russian opposition parties.

Recent polls show Civil Contract leading with around 30% support.

Russia accounted for about 35% of Armenia’s foreign trade last year, while the EU accounted for roughly 11%, according to government statistics cited by Armenian media.

Armenia also bought 82% of its gas from Russia last year.

Suspension from the EAEU would create immediate shocks for Armenia’s economy, a country of around 3 million people.

Armenia’s gross domestic product per capita was about half of Russia’s in 2024, according to World Bank data.

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Armenia Secretly Purchased Chinese CH-4 Rainbow Drones

Emil Lazarian
Militarnyi
May 28 2026

Vladislav V.

Armenia has unveiled Chinese CH-4 Rainbow reconnaissance and strike drones for the first time; the purchase of these drones had not previously been officially announced.

A video showing drones was released by the country’s Minister of Defense, Suren Papikyan.

During the parade marking Armenia’s Independence Day, two drones of this type were displayed. They were equipped with AR-1 and AR-2 air-to-surface missiles.

It is known that drones of this type are in service with Algeria, Congo, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Myanmar.

The appearance of such drones in Armenia’s arsenal seems quite unexpected, especially given the country’s current focus on procuring weapons from India, Europe, primarily France, and the United States.

In early February, Armenia received its first American V-BAT reconnaissance drones.

CH-4 Rainbow

Overall, not much is known about the drone; there are two main versions: the reconnaissance A and the multi-purpose B. It is also unknown which version Armenia received.

According to some sources, the drone’s fuselage is 8.5 meters long, and its wingspan is 18 meters.

Its cruising speed is 330 kilometers per hour, and its maximum speed is up to 435 kilometers per hour.

The drone can carry up to 345 kilograms of equipment and weapons.

The drone’s flight range is between 3,500 and 5,000 kilometers; its communication range is effectively unlimited due to the use of a satellite system, and the ground station provides control at a distance of 150 kilometers.

The armament is quite diverse: AR-1 and AR-2 missiles (weight — 20 kilograms, 5-kilogram armor-piercing warhead, inertial guidance system with a semi-active laser homing head in the terminal phase of flight, maximum range — up to 8 kilometers), and the AKD-10 air-to-surface anti-tank missile.

The arsenal also includes the 90-mm BRM-1 guided missile, FT-7 glide bombs weighing 130 kilograms, FT-9/50 aerial bombs weighing 50 kilograms and FT-10/25 aerial bombs weighing 25 kilograms, as well as high-precision guided munitions GB-7/50 and GB-4/100.

https://militarnyi.com/en/news/armenia-procure-chinese-ch-4-rainbow-drones/

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Rosatom’s Uneasy Spring: Armenia Turns Away, Europe Hesitates, China Steps In

Tambiyan Samvel
Bellona.org
May 29 2026

Russia’s nuclear ambitions abroad are increasingly colliding with geopolitical reality. In Armenia, Moscow’s once-dominant position in the nuclear sector is beginning to erode as Yerevan turns toward Europe. Across the EU, governments are still struggling in fits and starts to reduce their dependence on Russian nuclear fuel. And in Russia itself, Rosatom appears strangely reluctant to publicize the arrival from China of a major component for one of its flagship Arctic energy projects.

These are among the trends highlighted in Bellona’s April 2026 Nuclear Digest.

Armenia’s nuclear drift away from Moscow

Nowhere is the political dimension of nuclear energy clearer than in Armenia. Rosatom remains deeply involved in extending the life of the Metsamor nuclear power plant, whose second VVER-440 reactor was shut down in April for an unusually long five-month maintenance and modernization campaign. The work—carried out with the participation of multiple Rosatom subsidiaries—is intended to extend the plant’s operational life to 2036.

But while Russia still services Armenia’s aging Soviet-built reactor fleet, its chances of building Armenia’s future reactors appear increasingly slim.

“Russia and Rosatom traditionally play an important role in servicing the Metsamor nuclear power plant,” Bellona nuclear analyst Dmitry Gorchakov writes in the digest, noting Moscow’s continued role in supplying fuel, components, and modernization work. Yet he adds that “the prospects for Rosatom’s participation in Armenia’s new nuclear program remain extremely uncertain.”

That uncertainty is largely political. Armenia has accelerated discussions over building a new nuclear plant focused on small modular reactors, considering proposals from the United States, France, South Korea, and China alongside Russia’s. At the same time, relations between Moscow and Yerevan have deteriorated sharply as Armenia pivots toward the European Union.

“The current political dynamic and the likelihood of pro-European forces winning upcoming elections make the prospects for Rosatom building a new Armenian nuclear plant extremely low,” Gorchakov writes.

Europe’s sluggish nuclear divorce

Europe, meanwhile, continues its own uneasy disentanglement from Russia’s nuclear industry—though progress remains uneven.

Bellona’s digest shows that EU countries operating Soviet-designed VVER reactors are slowly introducing alternative fuel suppliers, primarily Westinghouse and Framatome. Westinghouse now has fuel supply contracts with every European VVER operator, while countries including Finland and the Czech Republic have already begun receiving non-Russian fuel deliveries.

But despite the political rhetoric surrounding energy independence after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian nuclear fuel continues flowing into Europe in substantial quantities.

“After peaking in 2023, purchases of Russian nuclear fuel have begun declining, and that trend continued in 2025,” Gorchakov writes. “But overall procurement levels still remain above prewar levels.”

Indeed, Bellona’s analysis notes that between 2022 and 2025, EU countries paid Rosatom roughly 70 percent more for nuclear fuel than during the previous four-year period.

The result, Gorchakov argues, is two distinct European strategies. The first includes countries such as Finland and the Czech Republic, which are shifting toward Westinghouse fuel and actively reducing Russian purchases. The second includes countries such as Hungary and Slovakia, which remain reluctant to break with Rosatom and instead are gravitating toward France’s Framatome as an alternative supplier.

Yet even that alternative comes with caveats. Framatome still lacks a fully independent fuel-production chain for VVER reactors and is preparing to assemble Russian-designed fuel under license at facilities in France and Germany. “This effectively preserves dependence on Russian technology in a more indirect form,” Gorchakov writes.

In other words, Europe’s nuclear decoupling from Russia remains partial, politically fragmented, and technologically incomplete.

Rosatom’s Quiet Dependence on China

If Armenia and Europe illustrate Rosatom’s geopolitical vulnerabilities abroad, developments in Russia’s Arctic suggest another problem: growing dependence on China.

In late March, according to industry publication SeaNews, the hull for a new floating nuclear power unit arrived from China at St. Petersburg’s Baltic Shipyard. The floating reactor platform is part of Rosatom’s ambitious plan to power the remote Baimskaya mining region in Chukotka using a fleet of floating nuclear reactors equipped with RITM-200S reactors.

But Rosatom itself said almost nothing publicly about the delivery.

“The arrival of the first hull for the floating nuclear power unit from China took place in an atmosphere of complete informational silence from Rosatom and its subsidiaries,” Gorchakov writes.

The silence is striking because the project is both strategically important and deeply symbolic. Rosatom has long promoted floating nuclear plants as a showcase of Russian technological prowess. But the first hulls are being built not in Russia, but at the Chinese shipyard Wison Heavy Industry because Russian shipyards lacked the capacity to complete the order on schedule.

The delays have been substantial. Under the original contract, the first hull was supposed to arrive in Russia by October 2023. Instead, it arrived roughly two and a half years late.

Why Rosatom has chosen not to highlight the delivery remains unclear. Gorchakov suggests several possibilities: security concerns, reluctance to expose Chinese partners to sanctions risks, or discomfort with publicly acknowledging that a major “prestige project” for Russia was substantially built in China.

Taken together, the stories in Bellona’s latest digest point toward a broader reality facing Rosatom in 2026. Russia’s nuclear industry remains globally active and technically capable. But geopolitical fragmentation, sanctions pressure, and shifting political alliances continue to complicate Moscow’s ability to dominate the nuclear landscape as confidently as it once did.

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Russia suspends sales of Armenian mineral water as tensions rise with Yerevan

Emil Lazarian
Reuters
May 29 2026
By Reuters

May 29, 2026

MOSCOW, May 29 (Reuters) – Russia has suspended the sale of ‌Armenian mineral water, its consumer safety agency said on Friday, the ⁠latest in a series of temporary restrictions imposed at a time when tensions between Moscow and Yerevan ‌are ⁠rising.
The ban, which Rospotrebnadzor, the consumer safety agency said was ⁠introduced over health concerns, will affect 64.5 ⁠million units of Jermuk water.

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