Securely embedded in both the EU and NATO, Hungary could afford to take the risk of balancing between East and West. A tiny candidate country for an EU Association Agreement, like Armenia, menaced by sanctions from Russia, was not in the same position. Faced with a clear threat from Moscow, in September 2013 Yerevan pulled back. It declared its intention of joining Putin’s Eurasian Customs Union, prompting Brussels to close the door on the Association Agreement.
