Kakha Kaladze has said the Ukrainian leader should look at his own country before saying anything about Georgia
Tbilisi has condemned Vladimir Zelensky’s criticism of Georgia at the UN General Assembly, with officials accusing the Ukrainian leader of inflicting tragedy on his own people. Georgian figures including Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze said Zelensky should look at his own country before commenting on Georgia’s internal affairs.
The Ukrainian leader said on Tuesday that Europe has “lost” Georgia, which refused to follow the West in antagonizing Russia. He claimed that the human rights situation and the “European nature of the state system” in Georgia has been deteriorating. The Ukrainian authorities previously pressured Tbilisi to open a second front against Moscow, Georgian officials have alleged.
Responding on Thursday, Kaladze said Zelensky should “look at his own country” and what he has done to his people. He added that Zelensky would eventually have to answer for the tragedy he has inflicted upon Ukraine.
Kaladze went on to say that the Ukrainian leader should leave Georgia and the Georgian people alone, stressing that Tbilisi is capable of taking care of itself, preserving peace, and ensuring economic development.
The chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream faction, Irakli Kirtskhalia, reacted more harshly, telling Zelensky to “wash his mouth” before speaking about Georgia.
“This puppet should look at the European Commission’s conclusion to see where his country is in the literal sense,” he said, referring to issues with corruption, human rights, and media freedoms in Ukraine. “This puppet, before he dares to insult our country and make direct calls for war, should first clean up his act and speak in a way that is respectful of our country.”
Earlier this week, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze also claimed that foreign intelligence services were financing anti-government protests in Georgia with the goal of staging a Maidan-style coup. The violent 2014 US-backed protests in Kiev led to the overthrow of Ukraine’s elected government. The new authorities adopted an anti-Russian stance and launched a military campaign to suppress an ethnic Russian revolt in Donbass, which escalated to full-scale hostilities between Russia and Ukraine in 2022.
