The war in Ukraine will end with the capitulation of one of the parties, not with a temporary truce, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said, commenting on the prospects for peace between Russia and Ukraine.
“In the real world, wars end when a final act of capitulation is signed,” Aliyev said on April 9 during a speech at an international forum, as quoted by Central Asia Outlet.
“Unfortunately, wars end when the final act of capitulation is signed. As our friend from Croatia said – they liberated their territory, reached their borders, and stopped. We did the same. We reached our borders and stopped. That’s how wars end in the real world,” Aliyev added.
He also said he does not see any realistic prospects for peace between Ukraine and Russia in the near future.
Aliyev said that Russia has declared the occupied territories of Ukraine to be part of its own territory.
“How can they back down from this? Ukraine, like the rest of the world, considers these occupied territories part of Ukraine – and Azerbaijan does too,” Aliyev said.
“How can Ukraine simply abandon them and say: no, this is not part of Ukraine? Well, if that happens, then I don’t understand international politics,” he added.
According to Aliyev, no country will agree to compromise on its territorial integrity. Therefore, expecting Ukraine to give up its internationally recognized territory for the sake of peace would be both unfair and unrealistic.
“Regarding our position on the war between Russia and Ukraine: we have always supported, and will continue to support, Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. As a country that has also suffered from occupation and the violation of our territorial integrity, we fully understand this situation,” Aliyev said.
Aliyev also said that as the leader of a country that has experienced two wars and the fragile period between them, he can say that a ceasefire does not end a war.
“Never. A ceasefire did not stop the war in our case either. It’s just a temporary relief for countries to regroup, mobilize, and start over,” he said.
Background tensions with Russia
As Ukrainian media have reported, relations between Azerbaijan and Russia worsened significantly after a deadly plane crash in December 2024 near Aktau, Kazakhstan.
On the morning of Dec. 25, Russian air defense systems in Chechnya mistakenly targeted an Azerbaijani civilian aircraft, confusing it for a Ukrainian drone.
To cover up the incident, the Russians reportedly directed the plane over the Caspian Sea, effectively sending it to certain death.
However, the Embraer ERJ-190-100LR aircraft managed to cross the sea and make a hard landing near Aktau. Of the 67 people on board, 38 died.
Damage to the aircraft’s fuselage was consistent with elements of a missile warhead strike, making alternative explanations difficult.
Russia has refused to accept responsibility or apologize. Aliyev has demanded not only a public apology but also punishment for those responsible.
“The decoding of the first flight recorder indicates that the Russian leadership knew all the details of the incident from the very beginning,” the European Pravda reported.
Azerbaijani experts said in January 2025 that the incident severely undermined trust in Russia and its leadership. They predicted a pause in relations between the two countries until a full investigation is completed.