TBILISI, February 18. /TASS/. Following the onset of the Ukraine conflict, external forces pushed Georgia into a war with nuclear-armed Russia, Georgian President Mikhail Kavelashvili stated in an interview with the French radio station Radio Courtoisie.
"We were abandoned with a nuclear power and told, 'Go ahead, we will supply you with weapons'." Young pro-European factions advocated for war against Russia. They coerced the previous government to initiate it. So, the question arises, ‘should Georgia have engaged in this conflict?’" Kavelashvili stressed.
As the Georgian president pointed out, such demands have been made since the conflict in Ukraine escalated. "We were pressured to join sanctions, send fighters [to Ukraine], and endorse the war, but Georgia is neither a NATO member state nor part of the European Union," the president explained.
He emphasized that the Georgian people supported the government’s efforts to protect national interests. Kavelashvili criticized former Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili’s actions. "One day, the fact that we preserved the country will be acknowledged. We had to speak the truth to our citizens. It is unfortunate that the then-President [Salome] Zourabichvili supported Moldova and Ukraine," Kavelashvili stated.
On February 25, 2022, former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili declared that he had no intention of imposing sanctions on Russia, affirming that this stance aligned with Georgia’s national interests. In early March 2024, Vladimir Zelensky recalled the Ukrainian ambassador from Tbilisi due to the Georgian authorities’ position on sanctions. This move was also criticized by the opposition, which accused the Georgian government of collaborating with Russia. Additionally, the leadership of the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party repeatedly stated that Ukrainian authorities and some European officials were attempting to create a second front on Georgian soil, where, in their view, certain elements sought to provoke Russia into launching parallel military operations.