"I don't understand why Georgia associates itself with the Kremlin" - General Ben Hodges

US General on Georgia’s position on Ukraine

Former Commander of US Ground Forces in Europe, General Ben Hodges, speaking at an event at the Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC), said he did not understand the position of the Georgian authorities on Ukraine.

“I do not see any positive result for Georgia if it is not on the side of Ukraine. At least Ukraine is definitely the right side, and Russia is the aggressor. There are also sanctions and other ways to state one’s position. And there is no risk that Georgia will be drawn into the war. Georgia has an opportunity to be on the right side of history,” Hodges said.

According to him, most Georgians fully support Ukraine but, Hodges says, there appears to be “no connection between [Georgian] power and what the Georgian people want.”

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In February, Georgia did not join sanctions imposed by the West against Russia in support of Ukraine. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said that Georgia would not join Western sanctions, as this is contrary to the national interests of the country, and sanctions would stop hostilities in Ukraine.

A different position is taken by Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who advocates more radical steps against Russia.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky recalled the Ukrainian ambassador to Georgia for consultations. One reason for the decision was the position of the Georgian government regarding sanctions.

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Last March Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Russian Federation Council committee on international affairs, praised the Georgian government for its position on the Ukrainian issue.

Karasin called Georgia’s reaction to the anti-Russian sanctions of the West “balanced” and stressed that “this fact will not go unnoticed” in Russia.

A few months ago, the Russian government published a list of unfriendly countries, which did not include Georgia. According to the Kremlin, Russian individuals and companies will be able to pay with creditors from “unfriendly states” in Russian rubles.