Relations with Azerbaijan remain constructive despite disagreements over Ukraine, the Kremlin stated.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order to add 27,000 personnel to the Russian military, which will have 2,426,130 people, including 1,535,000 service members.
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“The decree comes into force on Aug. 1. It also sets the maximum number of the Russian Defense Ministry’s central office personnel at 13,400, not including security guards and other auxiliary workers. Of them, 4,930 are to be civil servants,” the TASS news agency reported.
On Tuesday, Putin held a meeting with Russian Federation Council Chairwoman Valentina Matviyenko during which they discussed the social situation of Russian combatants.
“We must respond immediately, work together with the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation and pay attention to every detail, recognizing that nothing is insignificant in this matter,” he stressed.
Putin said it is necessary to “do everything possible to ensure” that Russian soldiers have “everything they need,” as well as ensuring that “their families feel supported by the state.”
He described support for soldiers and veterans as “one of the most important tasks for all branches of government” and urged the Senate to focus its work on that objective.
At the end of the meeting, Putin thanked Matviyenko for the work carried out by the Senate, which will be replaced by a new one after the Sept. 20 elections.
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Russia and Azerbaijan Maintain Constructive Relations
On Tuesday, Putin held a telephone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during which they highlighted the “constructive relations” between their countries despite disagreements over the Ukrainian conflict.
“After discussing current issues on the bilateral and international agenda, the leaders highlighted the constructive nature of Russian-Azerbaijani relations and the increased dialogue between the governments and institutions,” the Russian presidency said, adding that the parties “confirmed their mutual interest in continuing to expand mutually beneficial cooperation.”
In recent years, Moscow and Baku have grown apart, particularly because of the crisis following the downing of an Azerbaijani passenger plane by Russian air defenses in December 2024 while they were repelling a Ukrainian drone attack.
Subsequently, both countries declared the passenger plane incident resolved. In mid-July, however, tensions escalated again after Aliyev voiced support for Ukraine.
“We have always supported, we support and we will continue to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity, its sovereignty and the inviolability of its borders. The borders of no state can be changed by force and without the consent of its people,” he said. The Kremlin reacted immediately, describing Azerbaijan’s position on the war in Ukraine as “mistaken.”
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: EFE – TASS
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