Can EU protect Armenia from Russia and Iceland from U.S.? | News In Depth

Armenia has officially applied to join the European Union. Why would the landlocked South Caucasus country, whose economy is so heavily dependent on the Russian market, risk the ire of Moscow in such a way?

“Armenia is making this push to join the EU as a consequence of Russia not living up to its security obligations towards Armenia,” said Marcin Zaborowski, TVP World’s Europe Editor, citing Russia’s failure to aid Armenia during conflicts with Azerbaijan in 2020 and 2023.

But the move is risky. Neighboring Georgia also sought NATO and EU integration, yet the 2008 Russian invasion and the lack of meaningful security guarantees weakened that trajectory. In 2024, Tbilisi suspended its EU accession negotiations.

“Russia successfully pulled Georgia towards its sphere of influence and led to the situation that today Georgia is essentially a Russian colony,” Zaborowski said. “So if the European Union repeats the same mistake (...) then probably you will have the same fate meeting Armenia at some point.”

On the other side of Europe, Iceland will hold a referendum on restarting its accession negotiations, which it suspended in 2013.

“It’s also about geopolitics, but this time it’s different geopolitics. It’s not about being afraid of Russia but being afraid of the United States,” Zaborowski said, pointing to U.S. President Donald Trump’s persistent push to annex neighboring Greenland, an autonomous territory of fellow NATO member Denmark. The development may have prompted Iceland to reconsider its relationship with the EU.

Join TVP World’s Benjamin Lee and his guest as they explore Armenia’s search for alternatives to Russian security guarantees, whether the EU is ready to back aspiring members with more than economic incentives, and what Iceland’s renewed interest in accession says about Europe’s changing security landscape.

Chapters:
00:00 Armenia’s EU ambitions
02:27 Accession challenges and the Georgian warning
04:53 Russia’s leverage over Armenia
09:21 Security motives behind Armenia’s Westward turn
12:41 Iceland considers reopening EU accession negotiations
15:47 EU enlargement as a geopolitical and security project

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