Volodymyr Zelenskyy stood beside Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Saturday and announced that Ukraine is ready to hold peace talks with Russia in Azerbaijan, should Moscow agree to diplomacy.
The Ukrainian president said the proposal came after signing novel agreements on defense and energy cooperation with Azerbaijan, a move Kyiv hopes will strengthen its position while seeking an end to the war. Zelenskyy emphasized that Kyiv has already held similar trilateral discussions in Turkey and Switzerland, and views Azerbaijan as a credible venue for future negotiations. He stressed that any talks would depend on Russia’s willingness to engage in diplomacy, a condition Moscow has repeatedly rejected since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Aliyev echoed the commitment to territorial integrity for both nations and confirmed that the talks covered energy collaboration, noting that SOCAR has operated successfully in Ukraine for years and that joint projects are underway. He described the military-industrial discussions as having “wide-ranging prospects,” though he did not confirm signing any specific defense deals. Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said the agreements represent a significant step toward defense-industrial cooperation, framing it not as a weapons transfer but as a step toward global stability and national resilience.
The diplomatic overture came amid renewed Russian attacks across Ukraine that killed at least ten people over the weekend. In Dnipro, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported eight deaths and 49 injuries after waves of missile and drone strikes hit residential areas for more than twenty hours. Two additional fatalities were recorded in northern Ukraine. A separate Ukrainian drone strike on Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea killed one person and injured three, according to Moscow-installed officials.
Beyond the battlefield, the conflict’s ripple effects reached NATO territory when a Russian drone crashed in Romania after striking Ukrainian territory near the Danube River. Authorities said more than 200 people were evacuated as a precaution, and while no one was hurt, the drone damaged an electricity pole and a structure in the town of Galaţi. Romanian officials said it was the first time debris from a Russian drone caused material damage on their soil, prompting the foreign minister to summon the Russian ambassador.
The escalation follows a broader pattern in which Moscow has turned to unconventional partners to sustain its war effort. Russian parliamentary speaker Vyacheslav Volodin visited North Korea on Saturday to attend an event honoring Pyongyang’s deployment of troops to support Russian forces in Ukraine. South Korean, Ukrainian, and Western officials estimate that over 14,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to the front, with more than 6,000 already killed.
Zelenskyy’s push to involve Azerbaijan in peace efforts reflects a broader strategy of leveraging Ukraine’s battlefield experience to gain diplomatic and military support. After the U.S. Shifted focus to its campaign against Iran, Kyiv has sought to revive stalled negotiations by offering its expertise in countering drones and missiles — skills now in demand from countries facing similar threats. The president said he discussed with Aliyev the possibility of hosting Ukraine-Russia talks in Azerbaijan, noting that Kyiv remains open to negotiations in any third country except Russia or Belarus.
Why is Azerbaijan being proposed as a venue for Ukraine-Russia talks?
Ukraine sees Azerbaijan as a neutral partner that has maintained diplomatic engagement with both sides and offered to host future discussions, building on prior trilateral talks held in Turkey and Switzerland.
What agreements were signed between Ukraine and Azerbaijan during Zelenskyy’s visit?
The leaders signed agreements on defense-industrial cooperation and energy collaboration, though specific details were not disclosed; Zelenskyy described the defense pact as a step toward national resilience, not a weapons transfer.
How have recent Russian attacks affected civilians in Ukraine?
Over the weekend, Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least ten people across Ukraine, including eight in Dnipro where residential areas were hit for over twenty hours, and one in a drone strike on Sevastopol in Crimea.
What was the significance of the drone crash in Romania?
A Russian drone that struck Ukrainian territory crashed in Galaţi, Romania, damaging infrastructure but causing no casualties; it marked the first time such debris caused material damage on NATO soil, prompting a diplomatic response from Bucharest.