President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Baku for his first visit to Azerbaijan since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, signaling an intensification of security and economic ties between the two nations.
Speaking during a national telethon on Saturday, April 25, Zelensky announced that his team is working to finalize five bilateral state agreements. A key focus of the high-level talks with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev will be defense cooperation, particularly in the field of drone technology.
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“I think today we will sign a relevant agreement with Azerbaijan,” Zelensky stated. Additionally, the president highlighted energy cooperation and potential investments from the Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR as top priorities for the mission.
This diplomatic push follows a period of complex relations between Baku and Moscow.
While Azerbaijan signed a strategic partnership with Russia just days before the 2022 full-scale invasion, ties were severely strained in December 2024 after Russian air defenses shot down an Azerbaijani AZAL passenger plane, killing 38 people. Although a recent declaration between Moscow and Baku settled compensation issues by labeling the incident an “unintentional action,” Aliyev has notably avoided traveling to Russia since the crash.
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The visit also coincides with a significant diplomatic win for Baku in the EU. On Wednesday, five Azerbaijani tankers belonging to SOCAR and the State Shipping Company were removed from the EU’s 20th sanctions package, after having been initially targeted for alleged involvement with Russia’s shadow fleet.
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