Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov addressed key questions on Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev’s absence from the CIS informal summit in St. Petersburg, saying Moscow fully understands leaders’ busy schedules and continues constructive cooperation with Baku. Peskov also confirmed Russian presidential aide Kirill Dmitriev would return to Moscow to brief President Vladimir Putin following talks in Miami. Responding to US intelligence-linked claims that Russia plans to restore a Soviet-style sphere of influence, Peskov dismissed the reports as unreliable and based on incorrect assumptions that do not reflect reality.