Zelenskyy Meets Aliyev in Azerbaijan, Says Ukraine Is Ready for Russia Peace Talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Azerbaijan for talks with President Ilham Aliyev focused on “security and energy,” a senior Ukrainian official told AFP, as reported by The Guardian.

The visit included meetings in Gabala, where Aliyev and Zelenskyy delivered press statements in Gabala on April 25 following their meeting, according to AnewZ.

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Zelenskyy said the trip was his “first visit to Azerbaijan since the war began,” and he came “with my delegation,” as quoted in AnewZ.

Aliyev said cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine rests on a “very strong political foundation,” citing strategic partnership agreements signed in 2008 and 2011, and he said the documents reflect “mutual respect for our countries’ territorial integrity, sovereignty, and the inviolability of borders.”

The Kyiv Independent reported that Zelensky met Aliyev in Azerbaijan on April 25 and that the two sides signed six agreements to expand bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors.

Zelensky highlighted defense-industrial cooperation, saying, “We will definitely develop our cooperation and co-production,” and he also said, “I spoke today with our experts who are currently in Azerbaijan. They are certainly supporting our colleagues,” as quoted by The Kyiv Independent.

In parallel, DW reported that Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to hold talks with Russia in Azerbaijan after meeting Aliyev, and DW also noted Zelensky wrote on X that he began his Azerbaijan visit by meeting a Ukrainian expert team sharing experience “of protecting the skies from Russian drones and missiles.”

Zelenskyy used the Azerbaijan meeting to connect security cooperation with a possible peace process, telling reporters that Ukraine is ready for trilateral peace talks in Azerbaijan if Russia agrees to diplomacy.

AnewZ quoted Zelenskyy saying, “We have had negotiations in trilateral and other formats. Some took place in Türkiye, and later we met with our American partners in Geneva; we would also like to conduct our negotiations in Azerbaijan — provided that the Russian side also chooses this diplomacy.”

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Saudi Gazette similarly reported Zelenskyy saying Kyiv is ready to hold trilateral peace talks in Azerbaijan in the near future if Russia is prepared to engage in diplomacy, and it quoted him saying it was “very important for Ukraine that Russia finds the will to end what he described as an unjust war.”

DW also reported Zelenskyy’s readiness to hold talks with Russia in Azerbaijan, stating that the announcement came after he met Aliyev.

Hürriyet Daily News described Zelensky’s drone push and said he was ready to hold trilateral talks on ending the war with Russia in Azerbaijan, if Moscow showed a willingness to do so, quoting him: “We shared with the president of Azerbaijan that we are ready for trilateral talks.”

In Ukraine in Arabic, Zelensky affirmed readiness for a new round of trilateral talks in Azerbaijan and added, “If Russia is ready for diplomacy, we are ready,” while also criticizing Russia’s shelling during negotiations.

AnewZ and The Kyiv Independent both tied the visit to defense-industrial cooperation, with Zelensky telling AnewZ that Ukraine would share expert knowledge and that “Ukrainian specialists were already working with Azerbaijani counterparts.”

Beyond peace messaging, the Azerbaijan talks centered on energy assistance and defense-industrial cooperation, with Zelenskyy thanking Aliyev for specific support during the war.

AnewZ reported that Zelenskyy thanked Azerbaijan for its support during the war, “particularly in the energy sector,” and said, “During such a very difficult period, we received 11 aid packages from Azerbaijan.”

AnewZ also quoted Zelenskyy thanking Azerbaijan for humanitarian support for Ukrainian children, saying, “More than five hundred Ukrainian children are here, and we are grateful to you for this humanitarian support.”

The Kyiv Independent similarly said Zelensky thanked Aliyev for “11 energy assistance packages” and for hosting “more than 500 Ukrainian children harmed by the war,” and it described the visit as his first official trip to the South Caucasus since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Aliyev, in AnewZ, said trade turnover between the two countries had exceeded half a billion dollars and expressed hope it would continue to grow, and he also highlighted potential for deeper cooperation in defense and industry, including joint production.

AnewZ quoted Aliyev saying, “The military-industrial complex is developing in both Azerbaijan and Ukraine, and there are excellent opportunities for joint production,” and it said Zelenskyy and Aliyev signed six agreements.

The Guardian added that Zelensky said Ukraine was “actively developing” its strategic security arrangement across three key areas, including exports of Ukrainian military expertise and air defence capabilities, energy cooperation, and food security.

While Zelenskyy pursued diplomacy in Azerbaijan, DW and EA WorldView described ongoing Russian strikes across Ukraine and the continuing human toll.

DW reported that “Russian drone and missile strikes on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro killed at least five people and wounded more than 30 others on Saturday,” citing local authorities, and it said the regional head Oleksandr Ganzha wrote on Telegram that “The Russians have been hitting Dnipro and other cities and communities practically all night.”

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DW added that a later strike on another apartment building in Dnipro killed one more person, and it reported that in Zaporizhzhia a Russian drone hit a civilian minibus, killing one person and wounding four, with Ivan Fedorov saying so on Telegram.

DW also said Ukraine’s Odesa region was targeted in overnight Russian attacks, which wounded two people there, and it reported that residential buildings, port infrastructure and cars had been damaged in the south of the region.

EA WorldView provided a rolling update on Russia’s overnight attacks, saying the toll rose to “seven civilians killed and at least 45 injured,” and it stated that “Russia launched 47 missiles and 619 drones.”

EA WorldView said Dnipro bore the brunt of the assault, with “four bodies recovered from the rubble of a collapsed apartment block,” and it listed among the injured “a 9-year-old boy, a 17-year-old girl, and two police officers.”

EA WorldView also described Ukrainian internal disciplinary action after photos circulated of “a group of emaciated soldiers left on the frontline for months without adequate food and water,” specifying that the commander of the 14th Brigade was fired and the commander of the 10th Corps demoted.

The broader war picture in The Guardian’s briefing combined diplomacy, prisoner exchanges, and European political constraints alongside the Azerbaijan visit.

The Guardian reported that “Russia and Ukraine on Friday swapped 193 captured soldiers each,” describing it as “the second exchange this month” and “one of the few areas of cooperation between Moscow and Kyiv,” while noting that the two countries “have exchanged thousands of PoW throughout the four-year war.”

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It also described the visual scene of the swap in northern Ukraine, saying photos showed prisoners “wrapped in blue and yellow flags” and “embracing each other, or crying on the phone to loved ones.”

The Guardian then shifted to Ukraine’s internal discipline, saying Ukraine’s defence ministry “has fired a top commander after photos emerged of a group of emaciated soldiers who have been left on the frontline for months without proper food and water,” and it quoted that “The brigade acknowledged there were logistical problems and said deliveries were only possible by air because their location was extremely close to enemy lines.”

On the European front, The Guardian reported that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said there was “no prospect of Ukraine’s ‘immediate accession’ to the EU,” while suggesting Kyiv could join meetings of the bloc’s members “without voting rights.”

It also said Ukraine’s progress toward EU membership has been blocked by Hungary’s nationalist premier Viktor Orbán, and it added that Orbán’s defeat in elections earlier this month raised hopes it can move to the next step.

The Guardian further described Germany’s cyber-security response, saying “German prosecutors Friday launched a spying investigation into phishing attacks targeting lawmakers on the Signal messaging app,” and it said an MP described the plot as a “wake-up call.”