At a Sept. 3 government briefing, a journalist suggested that Pashinyan’s recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin had involved “harsh ultimatums” and described the Armenian leader as having been “summoned” by Moscow.“You say that I was ‘summoned to Russia,’” Pashinyan replied. “This year, I was invited to many places.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.He said the phrasing made him sound like the first secretary of Soviet Armenia’s Communist Party, an official expected to answer to Moscow.“How can Armenia be forced to hold a referendum?” Pashinyan asked. “I want to understand how that is possible.”His sarcasm carried a clear political message: Armenia may eventually have to choose between European integration and continued membership in Russia’s economic bloc, but the Kremlin will not dictate the question, timing or answer.Putin demands a choiceThe disagreement spilled into public view during a Sept. 1 meeting between Putin and Pashinyan on the sidelines of a regional summit in Bishkek.Putin acknowledged Armenia’s sovereign right to pursue EU membership but warned that simultaneous membership in the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) would be incompatible.Armenia’s 2025 legislation launching a process of European integration “essentially amounts to an announcement of withdrawal” from the EAEU, Putin argued. He demanded clarity from Yerevan “as soon as possible” and proposed putting the choice directly to Armenian voters.