Podolyak: Georgian gov’t, not people’s attitude to war contradicts the West’s position

Ukraine’s presidential advisor Mikhailo Podolyak says that the “strange attitude” of the Georgian Dream (GD) authorities to the ongoing Russia’s war in Ukraine “contradicts the unequivocal position of the EU and the US.” 

In his recent interview for Voice of America Podolyak praised the “proud and brave Georgians,” and expressed his surprise “how such people could be influenced by obviously Russian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili.” 

“Unfortunately, the position of the Georgian government and, of course, not the people, completely contradicts the position of the democratic international community. The Georgian government is directly or indirectly linked to Mr. Ivanishvili, who is a clearly represented Russian oligarch and, unfortunately, he has long had an influence on the current Georgian government. We see that Georgia is watching the war a bit strangely. It does not take the same clear and unambiguous positions as EU countries or the United States,” Podolyak said. 

 

Responding to the question on allegations towards Georgia that the latter is aiding Russian smugglers or is negotiating with Moscow to help Russia circumvent sanctions, Podolyak claimed that their intelligence service obtained the information. 

 

Tbilisi says that the Georgian opposition members, who currently hold high posts in Ukraine, are trying to stir controversies between the two “friendly nations.” 

 

They say Kyiv’s accusations are “incorrect, slanderous and unfounded,” and that the former does not properly respect Tbilisi’s support on the international platform,large-scale humanitarian assistance and other types of aid.