Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Armenia with increased tariffs if it breaks relations with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
"If Armenia starts transitioning to EU standards, we will have to halt all economic integration with it. Who will they supply their products to, where will Armenian wine go?" said Putin at a press conference following the EAEU summit in Astana on Friday, May 29. "Railway tariffs for them will have to be increased. Energy prices will have to be raised," he added.
Moreover, Armenian citizens will have to obtain work permits in Russia, the Russian president pointed out. Putin drew a parallel with relations with Ukraine: according to him, the crisis in Ukraine once allegedly began with Kyiv's attempts to join the EU. He stated that the Eurasian Union is asking Armenia to conduct a referendum on membership as soon as possible.
Earlier that same day, the leaders of the EAEU member states demanded in a joint statement that Armenia hold a referendum on choosing between joining the European Union and maintaining membership in the EAEU. The EAEU, in addition to Russia and Armenia, includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Putin Quoted Hitler, Attributing His Phrase to Goebbels
In the same speech at the press conference in Astana, Putin called the European Union's statements about Russia preparing a war against the EU "nonsense and lies." He characterized the media reporting this as "mass deception" and cited as an example the phrase "the more incredible the lie, the faster people will believe it," attributing it to the Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda of the Third Reich, Joseph Goebbels.
In reality, the passage "These gentlemen proceeded from the correct calculation that the more monstrous the lie, the quicker it will be believed" is found in Adolf Hitler's book Mein Kampf, published in 1925–1926, and Goebbels never expressed himself in such a manner, writes Deutsche Welle.
