Armenia Holds Joint Drills With US, Straining Ties With Regional Ally Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 16, 2022. Alexander Nemenov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Joint U.S.–Armenian military exercises kicked off this week at two military facilities near Yerevan, Armenia’s capital.

The move has served to irritate Russia, which sees Armenia as a regional ally and has historically viewed the South Caucasus as its backyard.