The Kremlin readout is very short and doesn’t indicate which side initiated the call, just that they “continued the discussion of the situation in the region and measures being taken to stabilise it in the context of the trilateral agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh, reached on November 9, 2020, and January 11, 2021.” Regardless of who called whom, the topic was clearly Karabakh and the deadly situation around the disputed Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Axar.az reports that the statement came from the American political analyst Andrew Korybko.

According to the expert, there were earlier reports of a trilateral virtual meeting that was supposedly being planned between the Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Russian leaders but which ultimately didn’t happen:

"The reason for that is presumably one of the side’s reluctance to agree to whatever the preplanned outcome of the summit was supposed to be. More than likely, it was Armenia that was playing the spoiler since it’s been trying to dangerously manipulate the situation for short-term self-interested gains.

In particular, Armenia seems to think that provoking deadly tensions with Azerbaijan could lead to Russia taking its side in any continuation war. Even if another conflict doesn’t break out, Yerevan hopes that Moscow will stop balancing between it and Baku and thus become a partisan player in the situation. The Kremlin refuses to do that since it has no reason to go against Azerbaijan, and by extension, that country’s Turkish ally. It wants friendly and mutually beneficial relations with all."

The expert also mentions this was recently confirmed by President Putin’s speech at his Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Board meeting last week:

"In his words, “Undoubtedly, Russian diplomacy is playing a growing role in further efforts to settle disputes between Azerbaijan and Armenia, restore economic ties and unblock vital transport corridors in the South Caucasus.” From this official policy pronouncement by the Russian head of state, it can be surmised that his country isn’t interested in taking Armenia’s side against Azerbaijan.

Building upon this observation, it can be speculated that President Putin sought to clarify the Kremlin’s position in his latest call with Prime Minister Pashinyan. He might also have informed the Armenian side exactly what Russia will and will not do in various scenarios. This would have been intended to convince Yerevan to stop escalating tensions and immediately enter into Moscow-mediated talks with Baku over their disputed border. Hopefully, Armenia will heed Russia’s advice and finally do the right thing" the expert added.