EU Ambassador to Georgia: We must take Ukrainian intelligence allegations of Russia's smuggling seriously
Ukrainian intelligence allegations
The EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell said the allegations of Ukraine’s military intelligence were serious and that the parties should continue to exchange information on the matter. A statement from Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kulba said that Ukraine was waiting for evidence from Georgia that it was not helping Russia.
“There are very serious accusations from the Ukrainian military intelligence and we must take them very seriously.
There is a very clear answer from the Georgian authorities that there is no such risk and practice. As for me, I can say that I do not have any information. As far as I know, it is very important that the parties continue to exchange information to deal with this situation”, Carl Hartzell told reporters.
As for Dmitry Kuleba, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister says he expects convincing arguments from Georgia that no smuggling is taking place via its territory.
“If we had not influenced Georgia and other countries through which the Russians are trying to circumvent sanctions, they would have done it a long time ago and the impact of sanctions on Russia would have been minimal.
This is our daily task. We continue working with partners. If we can not influence the country, we will find a country that can do it and we will work to ensure the Russian Federation does not bypass sanctions”, Kuleba noted.
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On April 4, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced that Russia was establishing a smuggling route through the territory of Georgia. According to the allegations, the Georgian political leadership allowed Russia to smuggle sanctioned products through its territory.
According to intelligence officers, one channel for the supply of military goods to the Russian Federation – East Asia – is already known. Georgia will be another channel through which the occupying country will receive spare parts for equipment, electronics and optical instruments.
In response, a special statement was issued by the Georgian Security Service. The agency calls on Ukraine to provide evidence immediately in response to legal action.
According to the Security Service, the agency met with the representative of the Ukrainian Embassy in Georgia yesterday to exchange information. During the meeting, SUS inquired about the grounds for disseminating this information and requested to share detailed information on the issue.
