Ruling party senior MP accuses UNM of double standards on Russia

Georgian Dream MP Levan Makhashvili has accused the opposition United National Movement (UNM) of adopting inconsistent positions on Russia, arguing that its current rhetoric contradicts policies pursued after the 2008 Russia-Georgia war.

Speaking on Thursday, Makhashvili said the portrayal of Russia as an "absolute evil" became particularly prominent after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and claimed the UNM had sought to align itself with that narrative.

He argued that the former ruling party's actions following the 2008 war did not reflect its current position, alleging that it had taken decisions that facilitated closer relations with Russia despite the conflict.

"When you see that double standard, it becomes clear that this is an artificially manufactured issue aimed at discrediting the Georgian government," Makhashvili said.

The ruling party lawmaker also pointed to Georgia's legal victories against Russia in international courts, including the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court in The Hague, arguing that those outcomes were the result of years of legal work carried out under Georgian Dream governments.

He said the international legal recognition of Russia as an occupying power did not emerge automatically but was achieved through sustained legal efforts.