Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Azerbaijan was more than a routine diplomatic meeting. The Ukrainian president travelled to a country that occupies a special place on the map of Eurasia: located between Russia, Turkey and Iran, Azerbaijan is an important energy exporter while also pursuing a multi-vector foreign policy. For Kyiv, this makes Baku a partner of potential significance in political, economic and security terms.
Zelensky met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on 25 April in Gabala. The talks were first held in a one-on-one format and then continued with the participation of both countries’ delegations. According to the Office of the President of Ukraine, this was Zelensky’s first visit to Azerbaijan since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion and the seventh meeting between the two leaders in more than four years. The main topics included security, energy, humanitarian cooperation and the development of bilateral relations.
The most concrete outcome of the visit was the signing of six bilateral documents. The Ukrainian side emphasized above all the importance of cooperation in security and the defence industry. Zelensky spoke about prospects for joint production, while Aliyev noted that military-technical cooperation between the two countries has broad potential for development.
This is an important element of Ukraine’s new diplomacy. Ukraine no longer presents itself only as a country asking for military assistance. After more than four years of war with Russia, Kyiv has also become an exporter of experience: in air defence, counter-drone warfare, the protection of critical infrastructure and the organization of state resilience under conditions of constant threat. According to regional media reports, a Ukrainian team of experts is already present in Azerbaijan, sharing experience in protecting airspace and civilian infrastructure.
The visit also had an energy dimension. Azerbaijan is one of the most important oil and gas producers in the Caspian Sea region, and after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine its importance for European energy security increased. For Kyiv, relations with Baku are therefore significant not only from the perspective of foreign policy, but also in terms of the long-term reconstruction and stabilization of Ukraine’s energy sector, which has been systematically targeted by Russia.
Zelensky thanked Azerbaijan for its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the same time, he recalled that Ukraine consistently recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. This mutual language of sovereignty carries considerable political weight, as both Ukraine and Azerbaijan have for years built their international positions around opposition to border violations and support for separatism.
One of the most important political signals of the visit was Zelensky’s statement regarding possible peace talks with Russia. The Ukrainian president did not rule out that the next round of talks — involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States — could take place in Azerbaijan. The condition would be Moscow’s readiness for genuine diplomacy.
For Azerbaijan, such a role would be a diplomatic success. Baku has for years sought to strengthen its position as a regional hub for dialogue, transport, energy and politics between East and West. Possible Ukrainian-Russian talks in Azerbaijan would raise the country’s international profile and show that the South Caucasus is becoming one of the places where the most important geopolitical interests of Eurasia intersect.
Azerbaijan’s relations with Russia also form part of the background to the visit. Baku has not broken off contacts with Moscow, but relations between the two countries have recently become more tense, including after the crash of an Azerbaijani passenger aircraft in 2024 which, according to international reports, was mistakenly hit by a Russian anti-aircraft missile. This means that Aliyev’s meeting with Zelensky also had symbolic significance: Azerbaijan is showing that it does not intend to be treated merely as part of Russia’s sphere of influence.
For Ukraine, the visit to Azerbaijan fits into a broader strategy of seeking partners beyond its traditional circle of Western allies. In recent months, Zelensky has increasingly emphasized cooperation with countries in the Middle East, the Caucasus and the Global South. The aim is not only military assistance, but also energy, food security, technology, reconstruction and diplomatic support for Ukraine’s vision of ending the war.
The meeting in Gabala therefore showed that the Russian-Ukrainian war is no longer only a conflict in Eastern Europe. Its consequences and diplomatic implications reach the Caucasus, the Caspian Sea, the Middle East and global energy markets. Ukraine is trying to make use of this fact by building a network of relations that may strengthen its position both on the battlefield and at a future negotiating table.
Zelensky’s visit to Azerbaijan was therefore a signal sent in several directions at once. To Moscow — that Ukraine is not isolated and can build partnerships even in regions traditionally important to Russia. To the West — that Kyiv is developing its own active diplomacy beyond Europe and NATO. And to the countries of the region — that cooperation with Ukraine can mean not only political solidarity, but also concrete benefits in security, technology and energy.
