Zelensky Says Armenia Ties Are ‘Even More Constructive’ as Putin Stays Silent on Pashinyan Victory

President Volodymyr Zelensky and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a phone call on Wednesday, Aug. 12, discussing bilateral cooperation as well as regional and global developments, with Yerevan saying the two leaders emphasized the importance of advancing “sustainable and lasting peace.” The conversation comes as Kyiv and Yerevan step up political contacts, with Zelensky describing relations between Ukraine and Armenia as becoming “even more constructive.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “I spoke with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. Relations between Ukraine and Armenia are now becoming even more constructive, and it is important that we maintain a continuous dialogue,” Zelensky wrote on X. According to the Ukrainian president’s office, the leaders reviewed the results of Zelensky’s May visit to Armenia and discussed priority areas for further cooperation. The Armenian Prime Minister’s Office said Zelensky congratulated Pashinyan on his reappointment as prime minister following Armenia’s parliamentary elections. As of Aug. 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin had not publicly congratulated Pashinyan on his Civil Contract party’s victory in Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary election, which secured the ruling party another majority in parliament. On July 29, journalists explicitly asked Pashinyan why Putin had not congratulated him on the election result, including during a recent phone conversation between the two leaders. Other Topics of Interest Zaporizhzhia Firefighter Killed in ‘Double-Tap’ Strike Two other emergency responders were also injured and hospitalized in the same attack. “He didn’t want to, so he didn’t congratulate me,” Pashinyan replied. “But that raises the question: who, then, was he talking to?” he added. The contrast comes as Armenia continues a foreign-policy shift away from its traditional dependence on Moscow and toward closer relations with Europe and the US. Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party won 49.8% of the June vote despite what international observers and Armenian officials described as Russian interference and pressure surrounding the election. Growing Kyiv-Yerevan contacts President Zelensky’s May to Yerevan trip marked the first visit by a Ukrainian president to Armenia in 24 years. Kyiv said at the time that Ukraine welcomed Armenia’s moves toward closer ties with the European Union and was ready to support Yerevan’s pro-European initiatives. The two leaders also discussed regional security threats and economic cooperation. Zelensky proposed reviving the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation and holding its next meeting in Kyiv. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.