Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze said remarks by foreign politicians describing Ukraine as a buffer zone against Russian aggression reflect what he called a “sad reality.”
Kaladze made the comments in response to a statement by Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
According to the Tbilisi mayor, Georgia could have faced a similar fate had the government not maintained what he described as a principled political course.
“Ukraine is already being referred to as a buffer zone, and this is a sad reality. Had it not been for our principled position and the policy pursued today by Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia, we too would probably, unfortunately, have faced the same fate,” Kaladze said.
He argued that, despite what he described as years of pressure, criticism, accusations and threats, the Georgian government had protected the country’s national interests, its population, economy and development.
“Had it not been for this approach, we would have found ourselves in the same difficult situation that Ukraine is in today. And as we can see, foreign politicians are now describing Ukraine as a buffer zone,” Kaladze said.