Georgian Parliament Speaker suggests Zelenskyy may be reconsidering Georgia policy

Georgian Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday suggested that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent initiative to meet with the Georgian Prime Minister - a leader he himself placed under sanctions - indicates that the Ukrainian leader may be reconsidering his “mistaken political direction”.

Speaking to journalists, Papuashvuli noted that Georgia has hosted tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees, created Ukrainian-language classes for children in its schools, and consistently supported international resolutions backing Ukraine. Despite this, he said, the imposition of sanctions on Georgian officials by Ukraine does not reflect appreciation for Georgia’s support.

“When you impose sanctions on the officials of a government that stands by your country, it is anything but an expression of gratitude. We saw and heard it ourselves when President Zelenskyy demanded that the Georgian authorities mobilize volunteers and send them to fight in Ukraine, thereby openly involving us as a party in the Russia-Ukraine war. In Georgian, this is called ‘dragging into a war’; I don't know what they call it in Ukrainian”, he said.

“His initiative to so demonstratively seek a meeting with a person he himself placed on a sanctions list suggests that he may have re-evaluated the flawed direction of his policy - and if that is the case, I can only welcome it. Experience has shown us that when you are right, eventually everyone is forced to acknowledge that truth”, Papuashvili continued.

He added that over recent years, various Ukrainian political statements and decisions regarding Georgian figures had raised concerns in Tbilisi, and said he hopes for a more balanced approach toward Georgia in the future.

“For four years, we have been witnessing attacks on Georgia and slanders regarding Saakashvili, including from President Zelenskyy, as if someone were killing him. To say nothing of the fact that Saakashvili himself was sent into Georgia by the Ukrainian intelligence services. Moreover, with the recent appointment of Zurab Adeishvili as the head of Ukraine’s Interpol bureau - the entire country has been watching the actions of the Ukrainian government in disbelief. The only thing that truly needed to be 'unblocked' was the Ukrainian government's own attitude toward the Georgian people, and I hope that this is what will happen”, he concluded.