On 25 February, Azerbaijani MFA stated that the situation in and around Ukraine is a matter of serious concern. It was noted that the escalation of the situation caused casualties, and condolences were expressed to the families and relatives of the victims.

It was stressed that the current situation must be resolved peacefully and diplomatically in accordance with the norms and principles of international law, including the sovereignty of states, territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, as well as the indivisibility of security in the OSCE area. In the current situation, an urgent dialogue is called to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.

Former Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Tofig Zulfugarov stated that Russia's decision will cause great damage to both the country and Ukraine.

"Both sides will see the consequences of Russia's decision, both politically and economically," he said. “There is no doubt about it. At present, the only thing that can be said is that the threat of war has decreased. It is clear that Russia's policy model in those regions will be the same as in Georgia, or it will annex and unite the regions, as in Crimea. "

Zulfugarov believes that Azerbaijan's policy in the region will remain unchanged.

"Azerbaijan will be among the countries recognising the territorial integrity of Ukraine. At the same time, these actions of Russia will give Azerbaijan grounds to avoid any mistakes in the Karabakh issue," he said.

Chairman of the Popular Front Party Ali Karimli notes why the Azerbaijani government is silent. Why does Russia recognize the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk republics and violate Ukraine's territorial integrity?

“Even the government of Kazakhstan, which has just retained its power with the help of Russia, has openly stated that it recognises the territorial integrity of Ukraine and will not recognise the so-called republics. Even China, which relies heavily on Russia's support in the face of the civilised world, has expressed open support for Ukraine's territorial integrity. Brotherly Turkey, which has always been sensitive to maintaining relations with Russia, has strongly expressed support for Ukraine's territorial integrity,” he flagged.

Shahin Hajiyev, editor of the political department of the Turan News Agency, indicated that Russia's recognition of Ukraine's Donbas and Luhansk regions as independent states will have very serious consequences. The expert believes that the Russian economy can withstand Western sanctions for a long time.

"It's not because it has potential. They can do this by limiting their needs. We can remember the Soviet era. During the Soviet era, the USSR's economy was strong, even though the living standards of the population were quite low. And now the younger generation, as well as the mentality of the Russian population, these political dividends will almost certainly compensate for the decline in economic living standards. The Russian economy will suffer, the losses will be large, but will not collapse. At the same time, the migration of the younger generation living in Russia, especially the departure of highly qualified specialists, will intensify.”

Earlier, on February 6, on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Ukraine, the President of Azerbaijan said in a letter to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Azerbaijan and Ukraine support each other's territorial integrity, adhering to the principle of inviolability of internationally recognised borders.

Moreover, on January 14, President Ilham Aliyev paid an official visit to Ukraine.