Ukraine's President Wants Peace Talks with Russia in Azerbaijan
Introduction
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went to Azerbaijan. He talked with President Ilham Aliyev. They talked about security and energy. Zelenskyy said he is ready to talk with Russia in Azerbaijan. But Russia must want to talk too.
Main Body
President Zelenskyy met President Aliyev in Gabala. They signed many agreements. The agreements are about defense, energy, and security. Ukrainian experts are now in Azerbaijan. They help with drones and missiles. Aliyev said he supports Ukraine's land. Trade between the two countries is more than $500 million. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready for three-way talks. The talks would be in Azerbaijan. Ukraine, Russia, and Azerbaijan would talk. Ukraine did similar talks in Turkey and Switzerland. But Russia must show it wants to talk. Russia says the meeting must be in Moscow. Ukraine says it can meet anywhere except Russia or Belarus. Russian attacks hit many Ukrainian cities. In Dnipro, attacks killed five people. More than 30 people were hurt. In Zaporizhzhia, a drone hit a minibus. One person died and four were hurt. In Odesa, attacks damaged houses and a port. A Russian drone fell in Romania. It caused damage for the first time. Romania called the Russian ambassador. Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners. Each side gave back 193 soldiers. This is one of the few times they work together. Ukraine changed a commander. Photos showed hungry soldiers. Germany started an investigation into attacks on lawmakers. The German chancellor said Ukraine cannot join the EU soon. But Ukraine can go to meetings without voting.
Conclusion
The visit to Azerbaijan is part of Ukraine's plan to talk to many countries. Ukraine also went to Saudi Arabia before. Ukraine says it is ready to talk. But the fighting continues. The two sides do not agree on how to talk. So peace is still far away.