Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed security and energy cooperation agreements with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, in Baku on Saturday, as Kyiv seeks to leverage its experience in defending its airspace from Russia. After the latest wave of conflict in the Middle East, multiple nations have sought Ukraine's assistance in downing Iran's long-range drones.
Military-Industrial Cooperation
Zelenskyy said the two countries signed an agreement relating to military-industrial cooperation. Aliyev noted that such partnerships had "wide-ranging perspectives" and that they discussed joint defense production, though he did not confirm signing any deals.
Peace Talks and Azerbaijan
Zelenskyy also discussed with Aliyev the possibility of holding peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Azerbaijan. "We are ready for the next talks [to be] in Azerbaijan if Russia will be ready for diplomacy," he said.
Russian Attacks Kill 10 in Dnipro and Northern Ukraine
Ten people were killed in Russian attacks on the southeastern city of Dnipro and other regions. Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported eight deaths and 49 injuries in Dnipro, a repeated target in the war. "For more than 20 frightening hours, the Russians attacked Dnipro in waves," he wrote on Telegram. "They hit with missiles and drones. They hit deliberately. They hit residential areas." Two more were killed in northern Ukraine.
Ukrainian Drone Attack on Crimea
A Ukrainian drone attack on Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea killed one man and wounded three others, according to Moscow-installed governor Mikhail Razvozhayev. He said 43 UAVs were shot down, but one man was killed inside a vehicle, and three were hospitalized.
Russian Parliament Speaker Visits North Korea
Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia's parliament, arrived in North Korea on Saturday to attend an event commemorating Pyongyang's troop deployment to help Moscow in Ukraine. North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 troops, with over 6,000 killed, according to South Korean, Ukrainian, and Western officials.
Drone Crash in Romania
A drone crashed in Romania on Saturday after Russian strikes in neighboring Ukraine, authorities said, adding that over 200 people were evacuated. This was the first time debris from Russian drones caused material damage on Romanian territory. No casualties were reported, but an electricity pole and an outbuilding were damaged, and gas supplies were cut as a precaution.
