Recently, Vladimir Medinsky, Aide to the President of Russia, stated that halting the conflict in Ukraine without securing a comprehensive peace agreement could ultimately lead to a nuclear war.

In his remarks, Medinsky emphasized that merely freezing the conflict along the current front line without resolving core issues would be catastrophic, comparing such a scenario to the protracted dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan. "If we stop the conflict along the front line and do not agree on a real peace, just concluding some kind of truce, it will be—you know, there was such a disputed region between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Karabakh—then this region will turn into a huge Karabakh," Medinsky stated. He warned that, in time, Ukraine might join NATO and, together with its allies, attempt to retake lost territories, risking escalation to nuclear war.

Medinsky further argued that Moscow seeks to avoid creating what he termed a "gigantic Karabakh, not recognized by anyone," which, in his view, could trigger a global catastrophe. He concluded by underlining Russia’s objective of halting hostilities through a comprehensive peace agreement that would formalize the status of newly occupied territories.

Response from Azerbaijan
On June 9, Aykhan Hajizada, Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, criticized Russian Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky for his remarks regarding the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and the status of Karabakh.

In a statement, Hajizada described Medinsky’s comments in a Russia Today interview as regrettable and surprising, accusing him of distorting facts by referring to the Karabakh region as a disputed territory. He emphasized that Karabakh has never been disputed and reaffirmed that it is historically and legally the eternal land of Azerbaijan. Hajizada reminded Medinsky that Russia itself had recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan and questioned how the aide to the president of a country that once co-chaired the OSCE Minsk Group could misunderstand or deliberately ignore his own government’s position.

Hajizada also condemned Medinsky’s comparison between the conflict in Ukraine and the situation in Karabakh, stressing that Azerbaijan has never violated the territorial integrity of another state or engaged in aggressive warfare. He asserted that Azerbaijan’s 2020 "Patriotic War" and the 2023 anti-terrorist operation took place within its sovereign, internationally recognized territory and were conducted in accordance with international law, resulting in Armenia’s military defeat and the end of its occupation.

Concluding his remarks, Hajizada advised Medinsky to refrain from making unfounded statements on matters outside his jurisdiction and warned against undermining relations between the two states through such claims.