Trump-Putin meeting demonstrated Ukraine had been “used as a pawn”, Georgian ruling party executive secretary

Mamuka Mdinaradze, executive secretary of Georgia’s ruling party Georgian Dream and leader of the parliamentary majority, on Monday claimed a recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had showed that Ukraine had been exploited by external actors, “but that Georgia had not allowed itself to be used in the same way.”

Speaking to journalists, Mdinaradze re-accused opposition parties of acting against Georgia’s national interests, claiming that some political groups “serve foreign agendas rather than the Georgian people.”

“Our government did not allow anyone to use Georgia as a pawn, and that is precisely what the agent opposition was fighting against,” he said, adding that opposition-aligned media and parties had “sought to provoke conflict and internal instability.”

Mdinaradze further criticised what he described as “provocative questions” about Georgia’s ability to convince international partners, insisting that “foreign actors try to exploit political turbulence to advance their own interests.”

“Whenever political interests arise regarding Georgia, the country is placed last in their assessments. But objectively, Georgia continues to prioritise its national interests,” he claimed.