The remarks by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on July 13, during the Shusha Media Forum, have sparked a strong response from the Kremlin. In response to a question from Ukrainian journalist and founder of the “Gordon” publication, Dmitry Gordon, Aliyev emphasized that Ukraine should never consent to the occupation of its territories.
Aliyev reiterated his support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, asserting that the war must end immediately. He remarked, “I believe neither the Ukrainian people nor the Ukrainian government needed my advice [given last year], but I would repeat it today: never agree to occupation. And this is what Ukraine is doing – it does not agree to occupation. Although there have been challenging moments throughout this year, we have seen, known, and heard about pressures from certain circles to consider options for ceasefire that effectively consolidate the occupation. But neither the Ukrainian people nor their leadership have entertained that.”
In response to Aliyev’s statements, Peskov declared that the Kremlin categorically disagrees with Aliyev’s viewpoint. He stated, “Regarding the opinion on Ukraine, we consider this opinion to be erroneous, and we will consistently explain through all channels why we believe it is erroneous.”
Context
- Since 2014, Russian forces have occupied Crimea and parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Kharkiv regions, with fighting ongoing in Sumy oblast. The Kinburn Peninsula in Mykolaiv Oblast also remains under Russian occupation.
- Russia insists on the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian Armed Forces from the partially occupied regions. The United States has proposed creating a free economic or demilitarized zone in the Ukraine-controlled areas of Donbas.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed concerns that following the end of the war with Iran, the U.S. may exert pressure on Ukraine to make territorial concessions to end the conflict, but he has repeatedly emphasized that Ukraine will act in its own interests regarding Donbas territories.
