Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky extended his condolences to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev over the tragic crash of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243, offering Ukraine’s full support in this situation.
Zelensky announced this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.
“I spoke to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and expressed condolences to him and the people of Azerbaijan regarding the tragic crash of flight J2-8243 of Azerbaijan Airlines. We acknowledged the heroism of the pilots and the entire crew of the aircraft,” he said.
Zelensky stressed that the key priority now is a thorough investigation to provide answers to all questions about what really happened.
He said that Russia must provide clear explanations and stop spreading disinformation.
Zelensky stressed that photos and videos clearly show the damage to the aircraft’s fuselage, including punctures and dents, which strongly point to a strike by an air defense missile.
“We will support Azerbaijan in this situation with all necessary means and call on other countries to assist as well. Additionally, we have agreed to intensify bilateral contacts in the near future,” Zelensky said.
The Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane, en route from Baku to Russia’s Grozny, crashed near Aktau in western Kazakhstan on Wednesday, December 25. The plane had 67 people on board, 38 of whom died.
The White House confirmed that there is evidence suggesting the plane was shot down by a Russian air defense system.
The Kremlin press service stated that President Putin expressed his apologies to President Aliyev in connection with the “tragic incident” in Russian airspace.
Source: Zelensky expresses condolences to Aliyev over Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash
