Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union threatens to suspend Armenia over its EU bid

Members of a Russia-led economic alliance have warned member Armenia that it could face suspension over its aspirations to join the European Union.

Friday's warning comes as tensions have continued to simmer between the Kremlin and the Armenian leadership.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, who attended a summit of the Eurasian Economic Union in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana, ordered their officials to prepare a report in December on possible consequences of suspending Armenia’s membership in the grouping.

The warning comes just over a week before Armenia’s parliamentary elections on June 7, in which Pashinyan, in power since 2018, seeks to retain his job.