If Georgia, Moldova started liberation of their lands, things would be easier for Kyiv – Danilov

Oleksiy Danilov,  the Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, on Friday claimed the third World War had started by Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008 and not by Hamas’ attack on Israel this month, claiming if Tbilisi and Moldova had started liberation of their Russian-controlled lands amid the Kremlin’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, things would have been easier for Kyiv.  Speaking in a telethon over the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Ukrainian official said the “hot phase” of World War III was in progress at this moment. 

 

“I [expressed] my position at the end of February, the beginning of March, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion against us that if Georgians and Moldovans started liberating their territories from the Russian occupiers, we would have solved this [conflict] much faster. But it is up to their Governments, these states. They believe that with our help, that is, when we defeat Russia, they will liberate their territories very quickly,” Danilov said. 

 

He highlighted that if the international community had given a “due response” to Russia’s actions in 2008 against Georgia and in 2014 against Ukraine, there would have been “much less loss now”.

 

The Georgian Dream authorities have several times slammed Danilov for his comments and claimed his claims were an “evidence” outer forces were trying to “drag Georgia” into the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, adding the occupied regions could be reintegrated “only peacefully”. 

 

A few months ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said his country’s victory over Russia would contribute to restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity.