Moscow again denies knowledge of reported Russia-Germany meeting in Bak
Russia's Foreign Ministry has again denied that Moscow held official talks with Germany on ending the war in Ukraine, issuing a second public rebuttal of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's claim that Russian and German representatives met secretly in Baku last month.
Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said there had been no official contacts between Moscow and Berlin on a possible settlement of the war in Ukraine.
"There have been no official contacts and none are taking place," Galuzin said, according to Russian state media.
His remarks follow an earlier denial by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said he had no information about the meeting referred to by Aliyev.
"I have no information about such a meeting, so I have nothing to tell you," Peskov said.
Galuzin's statement is the second public denial by Russian officials of Aliyev's account.
During a visit to Germany, Aliyev told a joint news conference with Chancellor Friedrich Merz that former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, Valery Fadeyev, head of Russia's Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, and German representatives had been in Baku between July 12 and 14. He did not identify the German participants.
"We received no information from either Russia or Germany. Our country's territory was used for this meeting without any notification to us," Aliyev said.
"I also cannot comment on the substance of the meeting because we did not participate in it. However, flight data lead me to conclude that a secret meeting took place in Baku."
Merz did not confirm Aliyev's account.
"I can give a very simple answer: I know nothing about such a meeting," the German chancellor said.
Galuzin acknowledged that representatives of Russian and German public organizations continue to hold informal meetings, but said these should not be interpreted as official negotiations.
Aliyev's remarks attracted attention as Azerbaijan seeks to strengthen its role as a venue for international diplomacy. Baku has previously hosted meetings involving representatives of Russia, the United States and NATO.
