Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s initiative to propose a meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze indicates a revision of Kyiv’s former policy toward Tbilisi.
Commenting on Zelenskyy’s request regarding the potential participation of Georgian volunteers in the war in Ukraine, Papuashvili noted that in Georgia, this is viewed as “involvement in the war.”
“When Zelenskyy directly demanded that the Georgian leadership send its fighters to Ukraine, in Georgian this is called ‘involvement in the war’; I do not know what they call it in the Ukrainian language. Zelenskyy’s initiative to speak with the Prime Minister of Georgia shows that any initially unjust policy is doomed to failure,” he stated.
Papuashvili noted that the inclusion of Irakli Kobakhidze in Ukraine’s sanctions list and the subsequent necessity for dialogue with him point to a change in the Ukrainian side’s approach.
The Speaker believes that Kyiv’s policy in recent years toward Georgia was erroneous and did not serve the interests of the Ukrainian people. At the same time, he stated that Georgia continues to consider itself a party that consistently supports Ukraine, including by voting for relevant resolutions.
The head of the Georgian parliament also noted that imposing sanctions against representatives of the Georgian government, which supported Ukraine, does not align with the principles of gratitude.
He added that calls to send Georgian military personnel to Ukraine would have meant the de facto involvement of Georgia in the Russia-Ukraine war.
It should be noted that on May 4, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the 8th European Political Community (EPC) summit; according to the Georgian Government Administration, the meeting took place at the initiative of the Ukrainian side.
Kobakhidze noted that it was a meeting in a closed format, and overall, he could say that a friendly and interesting conversation took place.
Prior to the brief dialogue with the Georgian Prime Minister on the sidelines of the political event, the Ukrainian leader shook hands with Irakli Kobakhidze during a group photo of the leaders of the participating countries at the summit in Yerevan.
The dialogue took place against the backdrop of an ongoing cooling of relations between Tbilisi and Kyiv. In recent years, Georgian authorities have repeatedly stated that certain representatives of the Ukrainian leadership allegedly called on Georgia to open a “second front” against Russia. In Tbilisi, it is claimed that such calls created political pressure and put the country at risk of being drawn into the war.
Georgian authorities claim that Brussels, Ukraine, and—at their prompting—the Georgian opposition demanded that Tbilisi open a “second front.”
Such signals from Kyiv are unacceptable and contrary to Georgia’s security interests, according to “Dream” [the ruling Georgian Dream party]. The Ukrainian side, in turn, categorically rejects accusations of attempting to drag Georgia into the military conflict and insists that no such official requirements were put forward.
As a reminder, on May 24, 2022, then-Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili stated that “Ukrainian friends” wished to see a second front in Georgia to weaken Russia.
Garibashvili was referring to statements by Ukrainian officials, specifically the now-former Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, who said on August 8, 2022, that Georgia, which lost Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and Moldova, which lost Transnistria, should follow Ukraine’s example to “tear Russia apart.”
According to the then-head of the NSDC, countries affected by Russian aggression could join Ukraine to accelerate victory. However, fear prevented them from doing so.
This statement by Oleksiy Danilov was not his first. Earlier, in March, he said that the opening of other fronts against Russia would greatly help Kyiv. Specifically, if Georgia and Moldova engaged in the return of their lands occupied by Moscow.
In Tbilisi, Danilov and other Kyiv officials were harshly criticized for such remarks.
Georgian authorities insist that the country’s territorial integrity will be restored exclusively through peaceful measures, and also claim that certain forces—implying the West as well—are attempting to drag Georgia into a war with Russia.
However, opponents of the government, the fifth President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili, and representatives of the EU and the US—specifically the former administration of Joe Biden—have repeatedly stated that “no one wants” to open a second front in Georgia.