Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian told Russian President Vladimir Putin to adopt a tougher stance and his peacekeepers to put an end to Azerbaijan's alleged blockade of the Lachin corridor, while the latter highlighted "consistent implementation" of the trilateral agreement with Azerbaijan.

The two leaders spoke on the phone on Tuesday about numerous issues, including the resulting humanitarian crisis in Karabakh.

"In this context, reference was made to the activities of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh," the Armenian government said in a statement.

The Kremlin said Armenia had asked for the call.

"The current situation around Karabakh was discussed, with an emphasis on the importance of consistent implementation of the entire complex of trilateral agreements of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan," it said.

Armenia has made a series of increasingly blunt public demands of Russia over the blockade in recent weeks. Pashinian last month said Russian peacekeepers were failing to perform their duties.

Azerbaijani civilians identifying themselves as environmental activists have been facing off since Dec. 12 with Russian peacekeepers on the Lachin corridor, the only road across Azerbaijan that links Armenia to Karabakh.

Azerbaijani ecologists representing nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been protesting against Armenia's illegal exploitation of natural resources in the region.

Azerbaijan rejects Armenia's accusations that it closed the Lachin corridor, indicating that Russian troops were blocking the road.

The Kremlin said Armenia had asked for the call.

"The current situation around Nagorno-Karabakh was discussed, with an emphasis on the importance of consistent implementation of the entire complex of trilateral agreements of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan," it said.

Armenia has made a series of increasingly blunt public demands of Russia over the blockade in recent weeks. Pashinian last month said Russian peacekeepers were failing to perform their duties.

The two former Soviet states of Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a 44-day war in the fall of 2020 over Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

The war, which ended with a Russia-brokered peace deal, saw Azerbaijan liberate several cities and over 300 settlements and villages that Armenia had occupied for almost 30 years.