I do not know why anyone should welcome a gesture, a gift from a country that is a brutal aggressor. I think this is a very important question that should be asked, US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan said on Monday in response to resumption of direct flights between Russia and Georgia starting today, following the Kremlin’s announcement last week. 

"The difference between the current situation and 2019 [when Russia canceled the flights] is that Russia invaded Ukraine again and launched a brutal, bloody war against Ukrainian citizens, children,[attacked] schools, hospitals, buildings. This is an unprecedented invasion of Russia into the territory of a neighboring country to eliminate the identity and sovereignty of Ukraine. This is the main thing that happened after 2019”, Degnan said in comments to the Georgian government officials that the west slammed Moscow for cancelation of flights that year. 

The diplomat reiterated the resumption of flights could create risks of sanctions for companies in Georgia. 

"I have not seen information on which [Russian] airlines were allowed to enter. This is important  to determine whether they are sanctioned or not. There are safety issues, whether they are sanctioned aircraft, whether they have the right parts, whether they have the right maintenance. This is a legitimate security concern that should be considered”, the ambassador noted.

Russia last Wednesday said it resumed direct flights with Georgia that President Vladimir Putin canceled in 2019 following mass protests in Tbilisi sparked by the presence of Russian MPs in the Georgian parliament. The Kremlin also said it removed a visa regime for Georgian citizens it maintained since 2000. 

The Georgian government representatives said it was a “positive move” which they claimed would ease the lives of Georgian citizens living in Russia.