Azerbaijan Hosted Secret Russian-German Talks, President Aliyev Says

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told reporters on Tuesday that his country had hosted secret talks between Russian and German officials earlier this month. Aliyev stated that flight data indicated a meeting in Baku, but he did not reveal the content of the discussions. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who appeared alongside Aliyev at a joint press conference, said he was unaware of the meeting.

According to the German tabloid Bild, Azerbaijan's border services recorded the arrival of former Brandenburg minister president Matthias Platzeck and former chief of staff of the German chancellery Ronald Pofalla on July 12. Shortly after, Russia's former prime minister and current Gazprom board chairman Viktor Zubkov and current presidential human rights chief Valery Fadeyev arrived in Azerbaijan. The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that Aliyev confirmed their visit.

German and British media first reported on the Russian-German meeting last week. According to those reports, the "core group" of emissaries has held at least four meetings in Baku and Abu Dhabi since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. "If this meeting can help end the war between Russia and Ukraine, we can only welcome it," Aliyev told reporters.

In June, German media reported that Merz's office was quietly laying the groundwork for talks with Russian officials after consulting with France and Britain. Last month, the British, French and German ambassadors met with senior officials at Russia's Foreign Ministry. While European leaders have been floating the possibility of direct talks with Russia, the Kremlin has dismissed the idea of the European Union as a possible mediator in Ukraine peace negotiations.