Zelenskyy: ‘Russia has taken away Georgia’s freedom’

In assessment of Georgia’s general elections held last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that “Russia has won in Georgia,” describing Georgia’s alleged shift toward a pro-Russian alignment. Zelenskyy made the remarks during an interview with Scandinavian publications, which Ukrainian media broadcasting his comments.

Reflecting on Georgia’s recent trajectory, Zelenskyy said, “we must admit that Russia won in Georgia today. At first, they took part of Georgia, then they changed the policy, they changed the government, and now there is a pro-Russian government with pro-Russian positions.” Zelenskyy claimed that, as a result, “Russia won today. They took away Georgia’s freedom,” underscoring that Georgia’s stance on Russia now contrasts sharply with its previous ambitions to integrate with the European Union.

Further drawing distinctions between Georgia and Ukraine, Zelenskyy highlighted what he described as a different national sentiment in Ukraine. “We are more. This is the difference between us and Georgia; we are much more,” he remarked, emphasizing that Ukraine’s larger population has shown a determined resistance to Russian influence, with “more men who did not want to be Russian.”