IRIA News

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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke following recent Russian strikes on a SOCAR oil depot in Odesa, reaffirming their commitment to continued energy cooperation despite recent attack on Baku-linked oil depot.

On August 8, 2025, Russian forces launched five Shahed drones at a SOCAR oil depot in Odesa Oblast, sparking a fire and damaging a diesel pipeline. Four SOCAR employees were seriously injured, according to news reports. Earlier in June, Moscow also targeted a gas distribution station near Orlovka, part of the Trans-Balkan pipeline through which Kyiv receives natural gas from Azerbaijan.

“During the conversation, both sides condemned the deliberate airstrikes by Russia on an oil storage facility owned by Azerbaijan’s SOCAR in Ukraine, as well as other Azerbaijani facilities and a gas compressor station transporting Azerbaijani gas to Ukraine,” Aliyev’s press service said in a statement.

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, Azerbaijan has avoided sending weapons to either side, instead providing more than $40 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine. This assistance has included food, medical supplies, and other relief items.

Most recently, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed an order allocating $2 million worth of Azerbaijani-made electrical equipment for Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy.

However, sources cited by Caliber, a Baku-based news outlet, said that if Russia continues hitting Azerbaijani-linked energy assets, Baku could respond by supplying weapons from its stockpile to Ukraine.

Rusiya SOCAR-ın Odessadakı neft bazasına hücum edib – 4 yaralı#socar #rusiya #ukrayna #odessa #neftbazası #raketzərbəsi #yaralılar #enerjitəhlükəsizliyi pic.twitter.com/NuBxkiVK16

— Ictimai TV (@TvIctimai) August 8, 2025

Energy partnership

Azerbaijan has positioned itself as a reliable energy partner for Ukraine since the start of the war, supplying oil products and gas to help Kyiv reduce its dependence on Russian energy.

Baku’s strategic role in the European energy market has also expanded through its participation in projects such as the Southern Gas Corridor, which supplies natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe.

The partnership with Ukraine includes oil shipments via the Black Sea and gas imports through the Trans-Balkan pipeline, which connects to European energy networks.

Potential shift in Azerbaijan’s neutrality

If Azerbaijan follows through on its threat to arm Ukraine, it would mark a significant policy shift. Since 2022, Baku has sought to balance its ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, avoiding direct military involvement while expanding humanitarian and energy assistance.

Military cooperation with Ukraine could strain relations with Russia, a country with which Azerbaijan shares close trade and security links, particularly in the South Caucasus. Moscow has acted as a broker in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and maintains peacekeeping forces in the region.

Analysts note that sending arms to Ukraine would align Azerbaijan more closely with Western policy toward Russia, potentially boosting its standing with NATO and the European Union but also risking retaliation from Moscow.

Ukraine’s response

Kyiv has welcomed Baku’s continued energy cooperation and humanitarian aid, but has not commented publicly on the reports that Azerbaijan could begin supplying weapons.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called on all partners to provide military support, including artillery, drones, and air defense systems, to counter Russia’s continued missile and drone campaigns.

In recent weeks, Ukrainian energy officials have warned that Russia’s strikes on infrastructure are aimed not only at disrupting civilian life but also at undermining Kyiv’s ability to export electricity to Europe.

The situation places Azerbaijan at a crossroads in its foreign policy. Maintaining its current position would preserve ties with Russia but may embolden further attacks on its overseas assets. Shifting to direct military support for Ukraine could deter Moscow but risks triggering economic or political consequences in the South Caucasus.

For now, Azerbaijani leaders say they remain committed to energy cooperation with Ukraine despite Russian strikes, but the threat of arming Kyiv signals that Baku’s patience is wearing thin.