Pashinyan also toned down his criticism of the Eurasian Economic Union 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. In a July 27 phone call, Russian President Vladimir Putin again told Pashinyan to hold the referendum “as soon as possible.” Two days after his call with Putin, Pashinyan declared that the Russian sanctions against Yerevan mean the EEU is “paralyzed” and herald “the beginning of the EEU’s end.” The Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday accused Yerevan of trying to “blackmail” Moscow and misleading Armenians about economic consequences of its drift towards the EU.