President Vladimir Putin’s confession did not happen in a vacuum; it occurred at a summit under pressure, with the unresolved plane crash straining the very fabric of the post-Soviet alliance. The tense backdrop of the Dushanbe meeting likely played a role in forcing the issue.
Gatherings like the summit of Soviet nations are intended to project an image of unity and cooperation. The festering, public dispute between two key members, Russia and Azerbaijan, would have been a source of significant diplomatic awkwardness.
It is plausible that other member states, or the summit’s organizers, applied pressure on Moscow to resolve the issue and end the destabilizing conflict with Baku. A public admission could have been seen as a necessary step to restore a semblance of order to the bloc.
This context might help explain the timing of the admission. After ten months of silence, the pressure of a multilateral summit, where Putin would have to face Aliyev directly, may have been the catalyst that finally prompted a public statement.
Therefore, the confession can be seen not just as a bilateral event, but as a multilateral one, shaped by the pressures and expectations of the broader post-Soviet community.