Azerbaijan Confirms Secret German-Russian Talks Were Held in Baku

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has confirmed that former German and Russian officials held secret talks in Baku.

Speaking during a joint press conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Aliyev said Azerbaijan only became aware of the meetings through media reports and had not been officially notified by either Berlin or Moscow.

Merz denied any German government involvement, saying he had no prior knowledge of the initiative.

According to flight records cited by media reports, the clandestine meeting took place in the Azerbaijani capital from July 12 to 14. Aliyev’s remarks marked Azerbaijan’s first public acknowledgment of the reported visits, though he emphasized that Baku did not organize, host or participate in the talks.

Similar quiet channels of dialogue reportedly also took place in Baku last year.

Unofficial diplomatic channels

The confirmation follows a joint investigation by German media outlets Die Zeit and ARD, which reported that former senior German politicians have been holding back-channel discussions with Russian representatives in Baku since 2024.

Among those reportedly involved on the German side were former Chancellery chief Ronald Pofalla and former Brandenburg Minister-President Matthias Platzeck.

The Russian delegation reportedly included senior figures close to Vladimir Putin, including Gazprom chairman Viktor Zubkov and Valery Fadeyev, head of the Russian Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights.

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The meetings have sparked concern within German security circles, where officials reportedly fear Moscow may be using informal channels to influence German policy and push peace terms favorable to Russia.

Participants have described the contacts as strictly private initiatives, while the German government has firmly distanced itself from the talks.

Baku’s balancing act

Aliyev reiterated that Azerbaijan had no formal role in the discussions but said Baku would welcome any initiative genuinely aimed at ending the war.

“If this meeting was intended to contribute to ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, we can only welcome that,” Aliyev said.

The Azerbaijani leader’s comments come as Baku navigates a diplomatic balancing act: maintaining energy ties with Europe, managing its relationship with Russia and supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Only days earlier, Aliyev used the Shusha Global Media Forum to repeat his advice to Ukraine: “Never agree to occupation.”

At the same time, Azerbaijan has continued institutional engagement with Moscow. On Friday, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov traveled to Moscow to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and sign a 2026–2027 foreign ministry consultation plan.

Azerbaijan’s president had earlier said that after a turbulent period, the full spectrum of relations between Azerbaijan and Russia had returned to full normalcy.

Aliyev’s confirmation has renewed scrutiny of Baku’s balancing act: supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity while keeping deep channels with Moscow.

Ukraine has repeatedly warned that no lasting peace can be built through back-channel diplomacy that pressures Kyiv to territorial concessions or a frozen conflict on Moscow’s terms.