Leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia issued a joint statement calling for Armenia to hold a referendum on whether to pursue EU membership or remain in the Eurasian Economic Union, and asking their governments to report by December on the possible consequences of suspending the EAEU treaty's application to Armenia, TASS reported on May 29. The statement came during the EAEU summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, where Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also criticized member states for using barriers such as vehicle utilization fees to restrict internal trade.

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did not attend the Astana summit, citing preparations for Armenia's June 7 parliamentary elections. Ahead of the summit, Russia imposed restrictions on imports of Armenian produce.