The Kremlin has stated that Russia never threatened Azerbaijan and attributes recent tensions to the exposure of criminal activities. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused Ukraine of attempting to undermine Russia-Azerbaijan relations by pushing Azerbaijan into rash actions during talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Despite a diplomatic crisis involving detained citizens and journalist arrests, Russia and Azerbaijan remain in constant communication. The Kremlin believes that certain external forces seek to disrupt the bilateral relationship. Peskov emphasized that Moscow and Baku must remain partners and allies, and that problems between the two countries should be resolved constructively. Azerbaijani officials have expressed a desire to maintain normal relations with Russia. Additionally, the Kremlin indicated that the list of countries considered unfriendly, which currently includes the United States, may be revised as relations improve. Peskov noted significant potential for restarting trade and economic ties between Russia and the U.S. On other matters, Peskov declined to speculate on the apparent suicide of Roman Starovoit, citing ongoing investigations.