Longtime Russian Ally Holds Joint Military Drills With US

Armenia, a longtime ally to Russia, has launched joint military drills with the United States in an effort to tighten its relationships with the U.S. and other Western allies.

According to the Associated Press citing Armenia's Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, the joint military drills, dubbed "Eagle Partner," are war games designed to enhance the ability to operate in conjunction with units engaged in international peacekeeping missions.

According to the news outlet, the drills include Armenian peacekeeping forces, U.S. Army Europe and Africa servicemen, and the Kansas National Guard, though the exact number of participating troops remains undisclosed. The exercises are set to continue until July 24.

Newsweek has reached out to Armenia's Defense Ministry and the U.S Army via email for comment.

The military drills comes as Armenia—which has been a close ally of the Kremlin as a member of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a security alliance of former Soviet states—has seen its relationship become increasingly strained with Russia following Azerbaijan's swift military campaign last year to reclaim the Karabakh region, the AP reports.

The continuing tensions with Azerbaijan come after the two countries engaged in a six-week war in 2020. In 2021, Armenia accused Azerbaijan of moving forces into its territory and demanded CSTO condemn the country.

Adding to the strained relationship with Russia, according to the AP, is Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's January 2023 announcement that the country will not host Russian-led military exercises for the CSTO in 2023.

At that time, professor Mark N. Katz at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government told Newsweek, that the cancellation of the CSTO exercises signaled that Armenia wanted more protection against Azerbaijan with the help of Russia.

"I think the important thing to note is that the Armenian PM has canceled the CSTO exercises in Armenia not because he wants to end Russia's role in Armenia, but as a signal that Russia is not doing enough to help protect Armenia against Turkish-backed Azerbaijan. The problem, though, is that with Russian forces bogged down in Ukraine, Moscow really isn't in a position to do as much for Armenia it might have otherwise," Katz said.

The Russia-Ukraine war has been ongoing since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Meanwhile, Russia has sought to maintain close ties with both Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as with Turkey, Azerbaijan's key ally and an important economic partner for Moscow amid Western sanctions.

The Kremlin has expressed frustration over Pashinyan's efforts to strengthen ties with Western nations and distance Armenia from Russian-led alliances.

Tensions specifically escalated when Armenia joined the International Criminal Court, which had indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes related to the conflict in Ukraine.

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