U.S. forces on Monday began joint military exercises with Armenia, a small country that had been closely aligned with Russia for nearly two centuries. 

The 10-day exercises are being seen as a sign of geopolitical realignment following Russian provocations in the region and a declaration of war with neighboring Ukraine. 

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The Caucasus country has been slowly moving away from Moscow as Armenian frustration grows over Russia's inability to act as a security guarantor as the tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which is backed by Turkey, escalates.  

About 175 Armenian soldiers will train with 85 soldiers from U.S. Army Europe and Africa outside Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The goal is to get Armenia's 12th Peacekeeping Brigade up to NATO standards for an evaluation later this year.

Armenia's Defense Ministry said the exercises will "increase the level of interoperability" with U.S. forces in international peacekeeping missions.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia largely shared Russia's vision of strengthening the Commonwealth of Independent States, a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia that covers about 7.9 million miles.

Armenia houses one of a small handful of military bases the Kremlin maintains on foreign soil.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Armenia's decision to work with the U.S. instead of Russia required "very deep analysis," the Moscow Times reported.

"Of course, we will try to comprehend and understand all this," he added. "But in any case, we will do so in the close dialogue with the Armenian side."

Armenia's ambassador was summoned to Moscow last week to discuss the "unfriendly steps" Armenia was taking. The ministry claimed Armenia was given a "tough" talking to but added that the two countries, for now, will "remain allies."

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Independent analyst Gela Vasadze told Agence France-Presse that the meeting "sounds more like a threat to Yerevan than a description of reality."

"In fact, Russian-Armenian relations have reached a strategic impasse," he added. 

A senior State Department official told the Wall Street Journal that the U.S. has been actively looking to bolster its partnerships with countries that had traditionally leaned on Russia for help, though the official denied that was the reason behind the joint exercises.

“We’re always looking for an opportunity to deepen our bilateral ties with these countries,” the official added.

Over the past seven days, Azerbaijan has started to increase its military presence on the border of Armenia, a move that has rankled Armenia. In 2021, Moscow looked the other way when Armenia accused Azerbaijan of trying to advance inside its territory.

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Areg Kochinyan, president of the Yerevan-based Research Center on Security Policy, called dependency on Russia the country's "biggest strategic vulnerability and our biggest mistake," adding that it was "something we have to change with the West and other partners."

“It’s not just that Armenians are no longer seeing Russia as a partner. It’s that they’re starting to call it a traitor,” he said.