US Senator asks Undersecretary of State about plans for “steps” to help Georgia in case of Russian “move”
Senator Ben Cardin directed the question to Victoria Nuland, the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, during a discussion centred on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Cardin raised the prospect by suggesting “Putin may be on his way to Moldova and Georgia” next. Photo: Reuters
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A United States Senator on Tuesday asked the Undersecretary of State about plans to help Georgia and Moldova in case the Russian Government decides to “cross the borders” into the countries on the back of its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Senator Ben Cardin directed the question to Victoria Nuland, the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, during a discussion centred on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Cardin raised the prospect by suggesting “Putin may be on his way to Moldova and Georgia” next.
What steps are we taking today to help Moldova and Georgia, recognising that if the circumstances change and Mr. Putin believes he has the ability, he would not hesitate to cross those borders? He's already done it in Moldova and Georgia, Cardin noted.
What steps are being taken so that those countries are going to be in the best possible position to defend themselves in the event that Mr. Putin decides he's going to move more aggressively in those two countries?, the Senator asked.
In her response, Nuland pointed to the US Government’s long-standing security relationship with Georgia, and noted the partnership would continue to be strong.
They [Georgia] have also contributed regularly to all kinds of NATO operations and NATO exercises and have received lots of US military training and equipment over the years, which [...] accelerated quite a bit after President Putin's invasion of Georgia in 2008, she noted in her reply.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a "continuation of the pattern" used by the Kremlin in Georgia in 2008, Ambassador Kakha Imnadze, the Permanent Representative of Georgia to the United Nations, said on Tuesday in a UN Security Council address.
Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs David Zalkaliani and US Senator Jeanne Shaheen reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the wake of war in the country on Tuesday.
Russia's actions in Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014, as well as the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripals in Salisbury were warnings to the West, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an opinion piece published by The New York Times on Sunday.
The importance of the joint efforts of the international community to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible was discussed by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen in a phone call on Monday.
The situation created by the armed conflict taking place in Ukraine, the ongoing occupation of Georgian regions, and release of Georgian citizens illegally arrested by occupation forces were discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between Grigol Liluashvili, the Head of the State Security Service (SSS) of Georgia, and Toivo Klaar, the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia.
Georgia will continue to provide political support to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people at “absolutely all international platforms”, in addition to ensuring humanitarian assistance, Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, said on Wednesday.
I hope that NATO countries will soon make a political decision on Georgia's membership in the alliance, Nikoloz Samkharadze, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) MP who chairs the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Wednesday during the meeting with Alexander Vinnikov, the new head of the NATO Liaison Office in Georgia.
The Helsinki Commission, a US government agency monitoring security in Europe, has called on President Joe Biden to designate Georgia and Ukraine as Major Non-NATO Allies (MNNAs), American global affairs publication Foreign Policy reported on Saturday.