Aliyev says former Russian and German officials were in Baku for possible Ukraine meeting

Azerbaijan's president has said former Russian and German officials entered the country in mid-July for a possible meeting about the war in Ukraine. Ilham Aliyev made the remarks during a press conference in Berlin alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. He said Azerbaijan was not informed in advance and only learned of the trip after media reports.

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Aliyev said flight records suggested a secret meeting may have taken place in Baku, but that neither Germany nor Russia notified his government. He said Azerbaijan's territory had been used without its knowledge and added that he had ordered an investigation by the State Border Service. According to his account, Ronald Pofalla and Matthias Platzeck arrived in Baku on 12 July on a flight from Berlin and left on 14 July.

The Azerbaijani president said he would welcome any effort that helps end the war between Ukraine and Russia. He also said that on the same day, former Russian prime minister Viktor Zubkov and Vladimir Fadeyev, who heads Russia's Presidential Council for Civil Society, arrived in Baku from Moscow. Aliyev said one of them left on 13 July and the other on 14 July, although the supplied material does not say what role they played in any talks.

The episode is significant because it touches on back-channel diplomacy around the war in Ukraine, which has drawn in a wide range of intermediaries and informal contacts since Russia's full-scale invasion. Azerbaijan sits in a strategically sensitive position between Russia, Iran and the wider Black Sea region, and Baku has often sought to balance relations with different powers. Any suggestion that its territory was used for undisclosed political contacts could carry diplomatic implications for both Baku and the governments involved.

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The people named by Aliyev have long-standing links to German-Russian political and business dialogue. Pofalla previously served in senior roles under Angela Merkel and later worked in railway infrastructure, while Platzeck has been associated with efforts to maintain dialogue with Moscow. The supplied material also says the Petersburg Dialogue, a semi-official German-Russian forum linked to Pofalla, was suspended in 2021 after Russia's initial invasion of Ukraine.

That background helps explain why the reported trip is being watched closely. It remains unclear whether the Baku visit produced any direct contact between the named figures or whether it was part of a broader set of informal discussions. The investigation announced by Aliyev may clarify who knew about the trip and what, if anything, was discussed.

For now, the key questions are whether Azerbaijan will publish further findings and whether any of the governments or individuals named will respond publicly.

#Azerbaijan #Baku #IlhamAliyev #Ukrainewar #GermanyRussiadialogue

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