Zelenskyy Proposes Azerbaijan as Venue for Ukraine-US-Russia Peace Talks

Ukraine is prepared to hold trilateral negotiations with the United States and Russia in Azerbaijan, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on April 25 during a joint press conference with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku.

According to Zelenskyy’s official remarks delivered at the press conference, Kyiv remains open to diplomatic engagement in a three-party format, provided Russia demonstrates readiness to participate.

“We are ready for trilateral negotiations. We had such negotiations in Turkey and Switzerland, and we are certainly ready for such negotiations in Azerbaijan, if Russia is ready for diplomacy,” the president said.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine values the role of international partners in mediating potential negotiations and noted that similar formats had previously been attempted. He also reiterated that Ukraine remains open to dialogue in multiple locations, excluding Russia and Belarus.

During the visit to Azerbaijan—Zelenskyy’s first since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion—the two countries signed six bilateral agreements focused on security cooperation and expanding trade and economic ties, including increasing overall trade volume. The Ukrainian president also met with Ukrainian military personnel deployed abroad to share air defense expertise.

Earlier, in March, Zelenskyy stated that signals regarding trilateral negotiations had diminished amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, but added that Ukraine would resume such diplomatic efforts when conditions allow.

At the time, he said, “As soon as the security situation and the overall political context allow for the continuation of this trilateral diplomatic work, it will be done. Ukraine is ready for this.”

Russian officials have also commented on the format. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov previously said that the trilateral group involving Ukraine, the US, and Russia is currently “on pause,” while noting that contacts between the sides continue on issues such as prisoner exchanges.

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