Georgian Parliament Speaker says war in Ukraine seems to have posed moral dilemma to some Europeans

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said the war in Ukraine seemed to have posed a moral dilemma to some Europeans.

Papuashvili’s comment followed after the statement of the former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine.

In his social media message, Papuashvili noted that Europeans must be internally aware that calling for continuation of war, without taking any action or responsibility was immoral.

“At the Munich Security Conference, we heard clear messages from some Europeans that the war is not about Ukraine, but about Russia. They seem to be concerned not so much with Ukraine’s fate as with Russia’s defeat. However, a hypocritical main idea behind their fear-induced attitude is that Russia must be defeated not by them but by somebody else, and not on their own territory but elsewhere”, the Speaker said.

“This is why the United States Administration's position on Ukraine caused consternation in some European political circles. Washington acknowledged that its primary goal is peace and the end to war and destruction. For better or worse, Russia’s defeat is not America’s main goal any more, if it ever was, and the United States Administration does not intend to pursue this goal any longer, concentrating on delivering peace for Ukraine instead”, he continued.

Papuashvili further stressed that Landsbergis could not contain his dismay, and noted that “paraphrasing Churchill, he suggested continuing the war and offered blood, toil, tears and sweat but, unlike Churchill, he offered those things elsewhere, not in his own country”.

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“He also openly listed the countries he had in mind: Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and beyond. ‘We have done it before, and we can do it again’, said Landsbergis, without evidence that he ever did these things or is ready to repeat the feat. Interestingly, under his watch, during the war in Ukraine, Lithuania became a lead exporter of wine to Russia, without producing the wine. No surprise, then, that he is ready to escalate”, the Speaker noted.

“The war in Ukraine seems to have posed a moral dilemma to some Europeans. They must be internally aware that calling for continuation of war, without taking any action or responsibility is immoral”, he continued.

Papuashvili stressed that if someone offered blood, toil, tears and sweat, it should be theirs, not others.

“NATO Article five does not preclude individual military actions of member states. If they feel like they can make a difference in international security affairs, then they will be more than welcome on the battlefield by the Ukrainians. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Georgian Government has been put under enormous pressure with a 'suggestion' to escalate with Russia by sending volunteers to Ukraine and imposing bilateral sanctions on Russia, all without any semblance of security guarantees or even economic support from the outside”, he noted.

“The pressure was magnified by local radical opposition parties and NGOs, with funding from USAID and NED, which has become scandalous in recent weeks. Had the Georgian Government succumbed to this suggestive pressure, our people would have had plenty of ‘blood, toil, tears and sweat’ by now.The negotiations by the third anniversary of the war should be about peace, not war, and led by responsible actors, not Trittbrettfahrer”, he continued.

Papuashvili also recalled the last meeting with Landsbergis and other Baltic colleagues and his words that based on the experience their advice could not always be taken as the ultimate truth.

“And I asked them if time had confirmed that the Georgian Government’s rejection of their earlier suggestion to non-NATO member Georgia to escalate with Russia by imposing bilateral sanctions, closing the sky, etc. was right and their suggestion was wrong. They responded with silence, which I took as a consent”, he concluded.