Romanian outlet: Azerbaijan to press ahead with Ukraine energy projects despite Russian strikes

An article in Romania’s Bursa newspaper says President Ilham Aliyev is confident that, despite Russian strikes on SOCAR-owned energy facilities, Azerbaijan–Ukraine energy cooperation will continue.

The article notes that President Aliyev voiced this position during a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Both leaders strongly condemned the Russian attacks and stressed that the air strikes would not affect bilateral energy projects.

The publication points out that since January, Ukraine has carried out its first tests of transporting gas from Azerbaijan via the Trans-Balkan route and has announced plans to expand cooperation significantly.

However, during this period, Russia has conducted several air strikes in Ukraine targeting SOCAR-owned oil storage facilities and gas compressor stations.

The article emphasises that these events create new tensions not only in the energy sector but also in the political dynamics of the region.

Nevertheless, the strong dialogue and mutual trust between Presidents Aliyev and Zelenskyy ensure that energy resources will remain a factor of stability and integration in the region. 

In response to the Russian attacks, President Aliyev ordered the dispatch of electrical equipment worth US$2 million to Ukraine as humanitarian energy assistance.

The analytical piece concludes that Azerbaijan will not retreat from this strategic course, and energy cooperation will continue regardless of political or geopolitical changes.

On the night of August 7–8, 2025, Russian forces targeted an oil depot operated by SOCAR in Ukraine’s Odesa region using Shahed drones, resulting in a fire, damage to a diesel pipeline, and serious injuries to four SOCAR employees.

Earlier in late June, a gas distribution station near Orlivka, a critical link in the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline carrying Azerbaijani gas to Ukraine, was also attacked.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy jointly condemned the strikes during a phone call. They affirmed that these attacks would not disrupt bilateral energy cooperation

By Aghakazim Guliyev