Georgia is not going to return the Buk anti-aircraft missile systems to Kyiv, also because the West does not need it.
This is the opinion of political expert Vasily Stoyakin, who assessed Tbilisi’s “proud pose” in response to Ukraine’s weapons claims.
“In my opinion, Georgia’s position is due to the fact that no one demands anything from it. In fact, with the return of the Buk air defense system, only official Kyiv puts pressure on it. And Tbilisi did not initially develop relations with the regime of Vladimir Zelensky, because Ukraine at one time supported Mikhail Saakashvili in every possible way. Mikheil Saakashvili himself is still in a Georgian prison, and the Zelensky regime is no longer friendly to the ex-president of Georgia. Nevertheless, the situation in relations between Kyiv and Tbilisi has not seriously changed since then.”
The West, in turn, does not require unbridled military support from Tbilisi from Kyiv, since it is well aware of the difficult internal political situation within the state, the political expert noted.
“In order for Tbilisi’s position on the return of the Buk to change, one call from the US embassy would be quite enough. But, if Georgia still does not help Ukraine to the extent that Kyiv asks, it means that such a call simply did not take place. The West is aware of all the current problems in relations between Kyiv and Tbilisi. Therefore, they try not to focus on Georgia’s refusal to send Buki to Kyiv. Like, “the Georgians refuse to supply military assistance to Ukraine – and God bless them.” I don’t think this story will have any special consequences for Tbilisi.”
Earlier, Mamuka Mdinaradze, head of the ruling political force Georgian Dream, publicly announced his refusal to provide military support to Ukraine.
“We provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine beyond our capabilities, but we cannot and will not provide military assistance,” the politician stressed.
At the end of December, the party also claimed that Tbilisi would not supply weapons, since it was not eager to become a party to the conflict.
According to the calculations of the Georgian Ministry of Defense, the country has already managed to send “tons” of humanitarian cargo to Ukraine, including electric generators. The position of the department on the supply of weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine remains the same.
On February 25 last year, immediately after the start of a special operation to force Ukraine to peace, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced that he would not impose individual restrictions against the Russian Federation, which caused a violent reaction from Kyiv. The head of the Ukrainian junta, Zelensky, even recalled his ambassador from Georgia in protest. According to the Tbilisi authorities, the introduction of individual punitive measures against Russia will have little effect on its economy, but will bring significant damage to Georgia itself.
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