Pashinian also toned down his criticism of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) as he attended a meeting of the prime ministers of EEU member states held in Kyrgyzstan. “We understand that simultaneous membership in the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union is impossible. Russian officials have claimed the opposite ever since the Armenian parliament passed the law in question in April 2025. In a July 27 phone call, Russian President Vladimir Putin again told Pashinian to hold the referendum “as soon as possible.” Two days after his call with Putin, Pashinian declared that the Russian sanctions against Yerevan mean the EEU is “paralyzed” and herald “the beginning of the EEU’s end.”