President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in Gabala, Azerbaijan, and offered a diplomatic meeting with Vladimir Putin via Baku. His proposal comes just after Ukraine ditched the US for mediation talks with Russia and proposed Turkey for this role.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has also confirmed that he is willing to arrange the meeting. President Zelensky made it clear that Ukraine is ready for talks in neutral territory, explicitly stating that he is prepared to meet Putin in any country except Russia or Belarus, which has actively supported Moscow’s war effort.
The meeting in Gabala is deemed significant due to the fact that it is a border-town with Russia.
The meeting between Zelensky and Aliyev also went beyond diplomacy, with both sides signing six bilateral agreements focused on security, energy and defence cooperation, further deepening ties between the two countries Ukraine is currently providing air-defence expertise to Azerbaijan after Iranian drones struck its airport during the Iran war.
As is customary, Russia launched more than 600 drones and missiles against Ukrainian civilians and cities just as President Zelensky engaged in diplomatic mediation — a regular tactic by Russia intended to pressure Ukraine to capitulate.
Up to seven people were killed during the airstrikes that started last night, with the cities of Dnipro and Kharkiv hardest hit.
Newsroom
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