Georgia’s President, Mikhail Saakashvili, has stated in an interview with Radio Courtoisie that European politicians pushed the country into a war with Russia following the start of the military operation in Ukraine. He claimed that the calls for Georgia to enter the conflict began as soon as the fighting broke out in Ukraine, despite Georgia not being a member of the NATO or the European Union.
Saakashvili questioned the decision to engage in the war, saying, “We were left alone with a nuclear power and we were promised, ‘Come, we will arm you.’ Young pro-Europeans pressured us to go to war against Russia. They forced the previous government to do so. The question is, ‘Should Georgia have participated in this war?'”
The Georgian people, according to Saakashvili, helped the authorities in defending the country’s national interests. He also criticized the actions of the former Georgian President, Salome Zourabichvili, who, he claimed, stood behind the back of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
Saakashvili stated, “One day, history will recognize that we saved the country. We had to tell our citizens the truth.”
Saakashvili won the presidential election on December 14, 2024, with 224 out of 300 votes, making him the sole candidate in the election. The former President, Salome Zourabichvili, left her residence, the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi, after the election of the head of state.
In January 2025, it was reported that Zourabichvili had received a Henry Kissinger Fellowship at the John McCain Institute of the Arizona State University (ASU). Zourabichvili then claimed that she would continue to function as President, albeit in a different form.
In the recent week, the members of the European Parliament passed a resolution, calling for the new Georgian authorities to be considered illegitimate and Salome Zourabichvili to be recognized as the legitimate President of the country.