Davos summit: Zelenskyy supports Azerbaijan’s search for truth in fatal plane crash

On 22 January, Ukraine’s President’s Office reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos to discuss the Azerbaijani Airlines plane crash.

In December 2024, a passenger plane crashed in Aktau, Kazakhstan. The aircraft had initially been en route from Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, to Grozny, Chechnya, in Russia. The Embraer E190AR, with dozens of people on board, crashed, killing 38 out of 67 people on board. Other 29 people, including two children, were hospitalized, with 11 in serious but stable condition. Preliminary investigations revealed that a Russian surface-to-air missile caused the incident. On 29 December, Ilham Aliyev publicly accused Russia of shooting down the Embraer E190.

During the meeting in Davos, Zelenskyy reiterated his condolences to Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan over the tragedy. He emphasized the importance of holding Russia accountable, pointing out that evidence from the crash site is undeniable and pressure must be applied to compel Russia to reveal the truth.

In turn, the Azerbaijani president provided details about the investigation’s progress, including circumstances that have already been established.

The Embraer 190 crash marks the second incident in the past decade where a Russian-made missile may have struck a civilian aircraft. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was also allegedly mistaken by pro-Russian forces for a Ukrainian military aircraft and downed over occupied territory of Ukraine’s Donbas.

Investigations determined that a surface-to-air missile struck MH17, with fragmentation patterns on its wreckage resembling those found on the Embraer 190.

During their meeting, the two leaders also discussed bilateral relations and future development, particularly increasing trade between the two countries and cooperation in the energy sector.

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