Russia may unilaterally suspend or cancel Armenia’s 2013 agreement on the supply of natural gas, petroleum products and rough diamonds if Yerevan continues the process of seeking European Union membership. This was stated in a letter sent by Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev to Armenia’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, newspaper Kommersant reported.
“The ongoing practical steps toward deepening cooperation between Armenia and the European Union, as well as the Armenian government’s declared aspiration to join the EU, jeopardize the preservation and development of the fundamentally high level of Russian-Armenian trade, economic and investment cooperation, one of the foundations of which is bilateral international agreements,” the letter states.
In the letter, Sergey Tsivilev also said Armenia’s attempts to join the EU “do not correspond to the nature of the partnership formed over decades between our governments and economic entities on the basis of respect and mutual benefit, nor to the practical steps repeatedly taken by Russia to provide Armenia’s vital needs on preferential terms.”
Under the 2013 agreement, Russia indefinitely abolished export customs duties on gas, petroleum products and diamonds supplied to Armenia. The decision was linked to Armenia’s accession process to the Eurasian Economic Union. The agreement stipulates that Russia supplies Armenia with gas and petroleum products according to domestic consumption volumes, while re-export to third countries is prohibited. The document also specifies that in the event of termination, Armenia’s compensation obligations remain in force until fully fulfilled.
On May 22, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said: “We have reached clear strategic agreements on the gas price issue, and they must be maintained.”
However, on May 25, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that if Armenia leaves the Eurasian Economic Union, the preferential gas price would become market-based. According to him, “such a regime is impossible for participants in other integration blocs.”
In 2025, Gazprom supplied Armenia with around 2.7 billion cubic meters of gas. Another approximately 476 million cubic meters entered from Iran under the “Gas for Electricity” program, under which Armenia exported electricity to Iran in exchange for natural gas.
