By Mikheil Khachidze

Copyright kyivpost

Several senior Georgian political figures reacted with scorn to comments made by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speech to the 80th UNGA General Debate on Wednesday.

Speaking about ongoing Russian aggression Zelensky told delegates: “The global response is not enough. We have already lost Georgia in Europe. Human Rights and the European nature and the state system are only shrinking there. Georgia depends on Russia, and for many years, Belarus has also been moving towards dependence on Russia. Europe cannot afford to lose Moldova.”

He added that the international community had previously failed to adequately support Georgia after Russia’s invasion in 2008 and warned against repeating the same mistake with Moldova:

“It is important to remember how the world once ignored the need to help Georgia after Russia’s attack and how the moment was missed with Moldova and how Moldova cannot be lost. For Europe, supporting Moldova is not costly, but failing to do so will come at a much higher price.”

“That is why the EU needs to help Moldova now with funding and energy support not just in wars or political gestures. We must not forget protecting the rights of people and the rights of nations in the regions where these rights are under threat. The UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights must apply everywhere,” he said.

“Zelensky should focus on his own country”

Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the Georgian Dream party and the Mayor of Tbilisi, who previously lived in Ukraine said Georgia should be left out of international criticism arguing that Kyiv’s president bears responsibility for Ukraine’s current plight.

“Zelensky should take care of his own country and talk about what he has lost, and what he has done to his people and his country. What is happening in Ukraine today is a great tragedy, in which he is directly involved. Time will pass, and he will have to answer for this. Our country and our people should be left alone. We will take care of our country, ensure peace, and achieve economic development,” Kaladze said.

On Dec. 5, 2024, Ukraine imposed visa and financial sanctions on members of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party and individuals close to the government – Kaladze was one of those targeted.

Unlike other sanctioned figures, Kaladze is known to have registered assets in Ukraine. According to official property declarations – which Georgian officials are required to file, though often criticized for being incomplete – Kaladze owns two apartments in Kyiv.

One apartment, located in Kyiv on Victory Avenue 39, measures 220 square meters (2,400 square feet) which records show Kaladze purchased the apartment in 1997 for $150,000. The second, purchased in 2005 for $700,000 on Shevchenko Boulevard, is 250 square meters (2,700 square feet).

“Georgia stands far ahead”

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, while declining to engage directly with Zelensky, insisted that Georgia remains a frontrunner among EU candidate states when it comes to democracy and human rights.

“I don’t want to enter into a polemic with Zelensky, he is the president of a country at war. Accordingly, no matter what statement he makes, I do not consider it necessary to react to it. As for the situation in terms of democracy and human rights, there is a tragic situation in this regard in Ukraine, both in terms of democracy and human rights.”

“When they talk about democracy and human rights in Georgia at such a time, this is nonsense. Georgia is the unconditional leader among the candidate countries for the European Union, including in terms of democracy and human rights. We are 10 points higher than all candidate countries in terms of both human rights and democracy.”

“They may be talking to more democratic countries and not talking to Georgia, but as for democracy, human rights, economic policy and all parameters, we are everywhere absolute leaders according to the ratings, indices published, where countries are evaluated according to specific criteria. The rest is politics, pure politics, specific political interests. We have our national interests. As you can see, we defend our national interests to the end, both political and economic interests,” Kobakhidze told reporters.

Kobakhidze is also sanctioned by Ukraine.

A new rift between Tbilisi and Kyiv?

The harsh tone adopted by both Kobakhidze’s and Kaladze point to rising tension between Georgia and Ukraine. While Georgia officially supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, relations between the two governments have deteriorated in recent years, particularly after Kyiv accused Tbilisi of adopting ever closer ties with Moscow.

Zelensky’s claim that “Europe has already lost Georgia” reflects broader frustration in Kyiv over democratic backsliding in Tbilisi, a concern shared by many Western observers. By contrast, the Georgian leadership insists it is a regional leader on human rights and democracy – a narrative increasingly at odds with the views of both the EU and the US