The European Union announced new economic assistance and expanded market access for Armenia, signaling deepening ties with the South Caucasus nation as it faces growing economic pressure from Russia. During a visit to Yerevan last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged an additional €18 million in assistance and announced that tariffs would be removed from nearly 80% of Armenian exports entering the European Union. The measures come after Russia imposed broad trade restrictions on Armenian goods following June’s parliamentary elections, which returned Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party to power.