On June 29, James O'Brien, the State Department's sanctions coordinator, held discussions with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, with the focus expected to be Armenia's adherence to Western sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

O'Brien’s visit aimed to engage in discussions with the Prime Minister and other Armenian officials regarding “cooperation on U.S. sanctions” and to express gratitude for Armenia’s ongoing dedication to upholding these sanctions.

The Statement released by the Armenian government regarding PM Pashinyan’s discussions with James O’Brien did not specifically mention the topic of US sanctions on Russia. 

According to the readout, the discussions between Pashinyan and James O'Brien covered various issues, including the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh caused by the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, provocative actions by Azerbaijan on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact, the progress of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan for the settlement of relations, and the Armenian-Turkish normalization process.

Prior to his visit to Yerevan, James O'Brien had discussions with Georgian leaders in Tbilisi.

During a series of meetings held this spring, US officials urged the Armenian government to take measures to prevent Russia from bypassing sanctions through Armenian companies. Pashinyan emphasized on May 22 that although Armenia maintains “strategic” relations with Russia, it cannot afford to be subjected to Western sanctions.

On June 30, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan also received a delegation led by James O'Brien, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reports. The delegation also included Kumar Iyer, the Director General of Economics, Science, and Technology of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The delegation discussed various issues related to economic cooperation between Armenia and the US.