Tbilisi Mayor reaffirms support for Ukraine following UN vote on child return

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has spoken to the media regarding Georgia’s support for a UN resolution on the return of Ukrainian children allegedly abducted by Russia.

Kaladze on Thursday said that despite criticism and campaigns targeting Georgia, the country remained firmly aligned with the Ukrainian people.

“We have expressed only support and solidarity toward Ukraine on every international platform,” he said. “We have treated displaced Ukrainian citizens in Georgia with dignity, and we consider the Ukrainian people our friends. It pains us to see the situation they face.”

The mayor also suggested that negative reactions toward Georgia stemmed from informal powers issuing instructions, rather than from legitimate diplomatic concerns.

“Were it not for our firm position and effective political steps, Georgia could have faced a similar difficult situation. I believe the criticism we face comes from informal authorities, who use Ukraine’s government and European bureaucrats to attack the Georgian people and our sovereignty,” Kaladze said.