Ex-Pres Saakashvili: Russia facing its “greatest defeat in centuries”, major regional changes to follow

Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili on Tuesday said Russia was experiencing its “greatest defeat in centuries,” a development he argued would inevitably bring about “significant changes” across the wider region.

Writing on social media, Saakashvili described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent visit to Washington as a “triumph,” highlighting what he called an unprecedented meeting with US President Donald Trump and European leaders.

Saakashvili said the talks focused on providing Ukraine with military defence guarantees from the US and Europe - commitments he likened to NATO’s Article 5 collective defence clause.

“Putin has agreed to meet with Zelenskyy, but in reality he has no other choice, as Russia’s budget is facing the largest deficit in its history. On the frontline, Russian forces are not advancing; instead, Ukraine is now on the offensive. Putin is merely trying to ensure the war does not end in a way that appears as his outright defeat,” Saakashvili wrote.