The frosty handshake between Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev at the Beijing parade comes after months of strained relations between the two countries
Fears have grown that Vladimir Putin could have another neighbour in his sights after he was seen giving a ‘frosty’ handshake to another world leader.
The Russian despot appeared to try and avoid Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev, 63, as dignitaries gathered before a huge military parade in Beijing this morning. But another guest stepped in Putin’s way, forcing him to exchange a greeting at a time of deep tension between the two men.
Putin – wearing high platform shoes to boost his 5ft 7in height – then fleetingly shook hands with Azerbaijan’s first lady and vice president Mehriban Aliyeva, 61, but the moment appeared deeply strained. In the seconds that followed, the Russian leader, 72, sought to hurriedly edge his way past his former close ally.
Tensions between Russian and Azerbaijan have risen in recent months after a Putin air defence unit shot at an Azerbaijan Airlines E190 aircraft over Chechnya, resulting in an horrific plane crash in Kazakhstan which killed 38 of the 67 on board last Christmas.
Putin offered an apology, but outraged Aliyev by not formally accepting responsibility for the actions of his troops. “We know exactly what happened — and we can prove it,” said Aliyev at the time, who the Russians see as backing Ukraine and growing closer to the West.
“We do not want war… [but] we must be ready for war at any moment… if someone’s sick mind decides to commit a provocation against Azerbaijan, they will regret it”, he added.
Meanwhile, Putin’s secret services have staged arrests of ethnic Azerbaijanis in Russia amid reports that victims were horrifically beaten. Baku has also arrested Russian nationals in Azerbaijan, including those working for the Putin propaganda media.
Political commentators fear that if peace is reached in Ukraine, Putin may need a new war to maintain repression in Russia and prop up his nation’s war economy.
Pro-Kremlin military blogger said alluding to oil-rich Azerbaijan: “The Caspian may soon become another theatre of military operations.” Propagandist Yury Podolyaka meanwhile said that the war in Ukraine “it may turn out not to be the last special military operation of our generation”, hinting at a new conflict with Azerbaijan.
Russian general and hardline MP Andrey Gurulev also hinted at war amid Russia’s loss of influence in this region of the former USSR after peace agreements between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
China shows off weapons at huge parade
Today’s parade in Beijing, commemorating the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II, showcased some of China’s most cutting-edge weaponry, including a new nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile, hypersonic missiles, and underwater drones.
Among the nearly two dozen world leaders present were North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
After the parade, Putin and Kim travelled from a formal reception to one-on-one in the same car, the Kremlin said in a post on social media.
Speaking in front of journalists as the meeting began, Putin praised North Korean soldiers who “courageously and heroically” fought alongside Moscow’s troops against Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region.