Putin demands Armenia hold referendum on future EU membership

Armenia's increased interest in closer ties with the EU is due, among other things, to its conflict with Azerbaijan over territory and a growing distance from the regime in Moscow.

Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan also stand behind the Russian demands for a referendum.

"Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan himself has said that he is considering a referendum on the question of how Armenia should behave: join the Eurasian Union or the European Union. We want it to happen as soon as possible," Putin said at a press conference in Astana, Kazakhstan.