Georgian Parliament Speaker: Ukraine now faces choice “between bad and worse”

Establishing peace in Ukraine is of utmost importance, but the conditions of such peace must be determined solely by Ukraine and its government, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday told journalists.

According to him, it is evident that today the Ukrainian leadership is choosing “between bad and worse”.

“The 28-point proposal we have seen shows that the essence of the current situation is essentially a repeat - at minimum - of what was presented or preliminarily discussed during the Istanbul negotiations in March-April 2022. In some aspects, the conditions are even worse, including regarding territorial claims”, Papuashvili said.

He noted that the basis for negotiations today mirrors the same framework discussed three and a half years ago, shortly after the war began.

“The difference now is the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians who have died in the meantime”, the Speaker continued.

Papuashvili stated that all sides hope an agreement will eventually be reached, and Ukraine appears optimistic as well.

“These points repeat exactly what was on the table in Istanbul just weeks after the war started. You may recall that the Ukrainian side had preliminarily agreed to that framework, and MP Arakhamia publicly stated at the time that the agreement was acceptable to Ukraine. Then Boris Johnson arrived, and, with European involvement, the agreement collapsed. Those were Arakhamia’s words. So, it is for Ukraine’s leadership to answer what happened back in March 2022”, the Speaker noted.

He emphasised the tragic cost of the intervening years.

“Three and a half years have passed, hundreds of thousands of military personnel and civilians - including women and children - have been killed. And now, again, the same European actors are at the table discussing the same terms”, Papuashvili noted.

According to Papuashvili, it would be devastating if, after so much time and loss of life, the eventual peace reflects the same terms proposed in Istanbul.

“This is why we say Ukraine faces a choice between bad and worse. Of course, there is no alternative to peace. But the Ukrainian government is in a position where it cannot fully pursue peace nor fully continue the war”, the Speaker stressed.

He added that skepticism is growing, including from the United States, about continuing military assistance.

“Without this support, it is difficult for Ukraine to sustain the war, which means more bloodshed. Peace is also difficult, because the public must be told why, after three years, the terms are the same as those that could have been accepted in Istanbul. What, then, was the purpose of these three years of war?” the Speaker concluded.