The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Heorhiy Tykhyi, dismissed the Baku meeting between former German officials and Russian figures as ‘secret’ and ‘insignificant,’ stressing that Ukraine had not authorized any participants to act on its behalf. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said the event took place on Azerbaijani territory without Baku’s knowledge. Reported German participants included Ronald Pofalla and Matthias Platzeck, while the Russian side reportedly included Valery Fadeev and Viktor Zubkov. Ukraine maintains such informal gatherings have near-zero significance for the actual peace process and do not constitute official diplomacy. Coverage portrays the discussions as informal exchanges lacking concrete commitments or official mandates. The repeated statements from Ukrainian officials underscore the expectation that meaningful progress requires formal authorization and verifiable commitments rather than unofficial talks.