Ruling party head: Tbilisi’ statements towards Ukraine restrained, but sometimes it’s impossible

Georgia is making restrained statements about the war-torn Ukrainian government. However, sometimes it is impossible, head of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party Irakli Kobakhidze said on Monday, criticizing several Ukrainian officials “who decided to be patriots at the age of 40.”

 He stated that it was “impossible” not to react to Kyiv’s “illogical decision” to recall the ambassador from Georgia, as well as the statements by several Ukrainian officials that Russian troops “should kill Georgia women and children in the way they are doing this in Ukraine.”

“We have serious question marks towards the people who became patriots of Ukraine at the age of 40, and who previously had pro-Russian sentiments, and not just attitudes. For example, Mikhailo Podolyak was close to Yanukovych (former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych) Goncharenko was a direct member of Yanukovych’s party. These people, who used to be pro-Russian, have now become Ukrainian patriots,” Kobakhidze suggested.

He reiterated that Georgia had “spared no efforts” to stand by Ukraine.

“Maybe there was a subjective interest of some people inside and outside the country, but we defended the Georgian people and the fact that we have not pushed our country into the war, it has caused their dissatisfaction,  but they can not talk about it openly, they want it, but openly they can not do this,” Kobakhidze said.

In an interview with VOA in May, the Ukrainian President’s advisor Podolyak spoke about Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of Georgia’s ruling party, and his “connections with Russia,” describing him a “Russian oligarch who has an influence on Georgian authorities.”