Azerbaijan President Confirms German-Russian Talks Held in Baku

Is this pragmatic diplomacy or a dangerous threat to Western credibility?

Published 1 hour ago

Azerbaijan President Confirms German-Russian Talks Held in Baku

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Above: Friedrich Merz and Ilham Aliyev attend a joint press conference in Berlin on July 21. Image credit: Omer Messinger/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-Russia narrative

Germany's back-channel talks with Russia make sense given the economic wreckage caused by cutting off Russian gas — Merz himself admitted the energy crisis stems from losing those supplies. With factories shuttering, Volkswagen cutting 100,000 jobs and industrial costs among the world's highest, keeping communication lines open with Moscow is necessary pragmatism. Europe can't afford to let ideological rigidity block every avenue toward ending a war that's gutting its own economy.

Fars RT NDTV

Anti-Russia narrative

Secret meetings between former German and Russian officials happened in Baku without even Azerbaijan's knowledge, with Aliyev confirming it through flight records only after the fact. Merz denied any government involvement, but the optics of back-channel talks with Putin's inner circle while Germany publicly backs Ukraine are deeply troubling. Unofficial diplomacy that bypasses democratic accountability reveals a liability that undermines Western credibility at the worst possible moment.

EuroNews Kyiv Post Euromaidan Press