Russia considers the rhetoric from Armenia ultimatum and offensive. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Zakharova.

“We have never questioned the sovereign right of any state to determine its foreign policy course. This fully applies to the CSTO. Armenia’s continuation of the current course could cause irreparable damage to the existing allied relations between Moscow and Yerevan,” Zakharova said.

The CSTO is a military-political bloc under the patronage of Moscow. It includes the Russian Federation, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan.

Recently, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that his country would leave the CSTO if the organization did not answer the questions raised. Yerevan previously “froze” its membership in the CSTO - it recalled its permanent representative and stopped participating in joint events. In addition, Armenia demanded the removal of Russian border guards from Yerevan airport.