President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said that this month, former high-ranking officials of Germany and Russia met in the Azerbaijani capital Baku for negotiations on ending Russia's war against Ukraine. This is reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
Details
"Our territory was used for such a meeting without our knowledge," Aliyev told journalists in Berlin on Tuesday during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "I cannot comment on the details, as we were not present at this meeting. However, flight data allows me to assert that the secret meeting in Baku did indeed take place."
According to media reports, an unofficial German delegation, which included former head of the Federal Chancellery under Angela Merkel Ronald Pofalla and former Prime Minister of the federal state of Brandenburg Matthias Platzeck, held a meeting in the Azerbaijani capital with several associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to media reports, the Russian delegation included Valery Fadeyev, who heads the Russian Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, as well as Viktor Zubkov, a former Deputy Prime Minister of Russia who currently chairs the board of directors of the state energy concern Gazprom.
"If this meeting was aimed at helping to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, we can only welcome it," Aliyev said. He added that the meeting took place on July 12–14.
The German Chancellor made it clear that his government was not involved in these negotiations.
"I know nothing about such a meeting," Merz replied to a journalist's question.
Ukraine is ready for a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin in Turkey - MFA16.07.26, 20:11