President Volodymyr Zelensky met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Azerbaijan on April 25 for talks focused on security and energy cooperation.
Aliyev welcomed the Ukrainian leader to Gabala, where the two sides signed six agreements to expand bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Zelensky highlighted prospects of defense-industrial cooperation between the two countries.
“I spoke today with our experts who are currently in Azerbaijan. They are certainly supporting our colleagues,” Zelensky said. “We will definitely develop our cooperation and co-production.”
The trip marks Zelensky‘s first official visit to the South Caucasus since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
It comes after the president’s April 24 visit to Saudi Arabia, part of Kyiv’s push to strengthen security and drone-technology cooperation with Gulf countries. Zelensky previously hinted that Ukraine eyes similar deals with countries in the South Caucasus.
Kyiv has already sent a team of military specialists to Azerbaijan to share their expertise, who briefed Zelensky before his talks with Aliyev.
During the visit, Zelensky also thanked Aliyev for the humanitarian and energy support provided during the full-scale war, namely, 11 energy assistance packages.
Commenting on peace talks, the Ukrainian leader voiced readiness for trilateral negotiations with Moscow and Washington in Azerbaijan, “if Russia is ready for diplomacy.”
Aliyev, in turn, underscored long-term economic and diplomatic ties between Ukraine and Azerbaijan
“We also discussed trade turnover, and it needs to be increased. It is over $500 million, and I believe it will continue to grow because we have all the opportunities,” the Azerbaijani president said at the press conference.
Kyiv has maintained good relations with Azerbaijan throughout the all-out war. Baku has provided humanitarian and economic aid and assisted in Ukraine’s reconstruction efforts, namely in the energy sector.
Azerbaijan has simultaneously maintained a close partnership with Russia, though ties deteriorated after Russian air defenses downed an Azerbaijani airliner in December 2024.
Since then, Moscow has sought to repair relations with Baku, pledging a thorough investigation and compensation for the crash that killed 38 people.
Zelensky was rumored to plan a visit to Azerbaijan and Armenia in 2024, but the trip was reportedly canceled.
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