Kremlin denies knowledge of reported talks between former German, Russian officials in Azerbaijan

The Kremlin on Wednesday denied having any knowledge of reported “secret talks” between former German and Russian officials in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku.

“No, I don't have any information about this meeting, so I have nothing to tell you,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a news briefing in Moscow.

Peskov’s remarks came after The Times of London reported Monday that an unofficial German delegation, including Ronald Pofalla, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff, and Matthias Platzeck, former minister-president of Brandenburg, held clandestine talks in Baku earlier this month.

The report, which cited German outlets Die Zeit and ARD as the initial reporters of the secret meeting, said the Russian delegation included Valery Fadeyev, the head of Russia's Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, and Viktor Zubkov, a former prime minister and current chairman of state energy company Gazprom.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Tuesday that the Azerbaijani side was unaware of the talks but had looked into whether those named in the report were in the South Caucasus nation at the same time.

“I can tell you that this information has been confirmed,” Aliyev told a news conference in Berlin alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, noting those involved were in Azerbaijan at the same time, on July 12 - 14.

Aliyev went on to say that the Azerbaijani side was not informed about it by Germany or Russia, stating his country’s territory was “simply used without our knowledge.”

“I cannot say anything specific about whether such a meeting took place, because we did not see it. But the flight data I mentioned give grounds to say that such a secret meeting took place in Baku. If this meeting will bring an end to the Ukraine-Russia war, of course, we welcome it," he added.

- Russian 'advances'

Peskov also spoke about the Ukraine war, saying Russian forces "continue offensive operations across the entire width of the front."

"Let's recall that two years ago, (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin addressed the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and outlined the key conditions for ending hostilities. All of these conditions are still in effect, and these parameters are well known to everyone in the world, including in Kyiv," said Peskov, referring to Moscow's demand for Kyiv's withdrawal from the Donbas region, as well as Ukraine's abandonment of plans to join NATO.

Peskov also declined to comment on media reports about Russia allegedly hardening its stance on territorial issues surrounding Ukraine, saying the topic is "hardly appropriate for public discussion" and is "more likely to be speculation."

"As we have repeatedly stated, Kyiv simply needs to take a responsible decision, and the fighting can very quickly cease, allowing for serious, complex negotiations to begin," he added.

Bloomberg reported Wednesday that Moscow is no longer willing to return some Ukrainian territories under its control as part of a deal to end the war.

Citing people close to the Kremlin, the report said Putin remained committed to taking full control of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine and will retain border areas in the northeastern Kharkiv and Sumy as "buffer zones."

The report also said that Moscow abandoned territorial concessions due to what it saw as "increasingly confrontational statements from the US" related to understandings reached at the summit between Putin and US President Donald Trump in the American state of Alaska last August.