Ceasefire Never Ends War, Says Aliyev

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has commented on the cessation of the Russia-Ukraine war, stating, “From the experience of a leader of a country that has seen two wars, I can say that a ceasefire never ends the war. In our case, it did not end either. It is merely a temporary pause to regroup forces and start again. If peacekeepers come to the occupied border, it means you are losing your territory. In my opinion, no country will agree to cede its territorial integrity. Therefore, it is unjust and unrealistic to expect Ukraine to surrender its legitimate territories in exchange for peace.”

Aliyev stated that he does not foresee peace between Russia and Ukraine in the near future. “As a realist, I do not see peace between Ukraine and Russia in the near future. Russia has declared the occupied territories as its own. How can they give that up? Ukraine and the world, including Azerbaijan, consider those territories to be part of Ukraine. How can Ukraine say that they are not its own? If that happens, then I do not understand something about politics. Wars only end with a signature of capitulation,” concluded the President of Azerbaijan.