Aliyev–Putin talks make global headlines as Russia admits downing Azerbaijani airliner Overview of foreign media

Leading global English-language media extensively covered the one-on-one meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin, held on 9 October in Dushanbe. As reported by Caliber.Az, international outlets underscored that, for the first time, Russia—through President Putin—acknowledged responsibility for the downing of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) passenger plane over Grozny last December. Below are excerpts from several foreign media reports.

The British news agency Reuters noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin informed the Azerbaijani leader that last year two Russian missiles exploded near the AZAL plane after Ukrainian drones entered Russian airspace. Putin openly acknowledged Moscow’s responsibility for the incident, once again apologised to President Ilham Aliyev, and promised compensation for the victims.

The American news agency Associated Press and the television network CNN reported that President Putin stated that Russian air defence systems were responsible for the Azerbaijani airliner that was shot down in December, resulting in 38 fatalities. This was his first public admission of responsibility for the crash, aimed at easing tensions between the neighbouring countries.

Meanwhile, international broadcaster Al Jazeera emphasised that President Putin told his Azerbaijani counterpart that Moscow would compensate Baku for the damage caused by the accidental downing of the Azerbaijani passenger plane last year, which had strained bilateral relations.

The Russian leader made this commitment during his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe, ten months after the AZAL crash, in which 38 of the 67 people on board died, escalating tensions between the two neighbours.

At the same time, Euronews reported that President Putin acknowledged that Russian air defence systems were responsible for the Azerbaijani passenger plane shot down in December, killing 38 people. This marked his first public admission of guilt for the crash. Putin made the statement during his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe and also promised compensation for the victims.

In the same vein, leading German media outlets have reported on the meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Dushanbe, during which Putin publicly acknowledged, for the first time, that Russian air defence forces were responsible for the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane.

According to AZERTAC, publications in Spiegel, Zeit, Bild, Tagesschau, Tagesspiegel, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and other outlets highlighted that Putin guaranteed compensation for the victims’ families. He also stated that the investigation into the incident is nearing completion, all necessary measures will be taken, and those responsible will face legal accountability.

"Putin officially stated for the first time that the disaster was caused by an error of the Russian air defence forces," Spiegel reported.

The coverage recalled the tragic event at the end of last year, in which 38 people were killed and 29 injured when the passenger plane was struck. It also noted that immediately after the incident, President Aliyev demanded an official acknowledgement from Russia and announced plans to pursue the matter in an international court.