On Thursday, Shalva Ramishvili, the founder of prominent pro-government media outlet PosTV, made a series of comments on air praising Russia and denigrating Ukraine.
‘Why should Ukraine’s defeat be considered our defeat? Ukraine’s defeat is our victory’, Ramishvili said, appearing to brush aside fears that a Russian victory in its full-scale war against Ukraine could lead to negative consequences for Georgia.
He also criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and his team, calling them a ‘mass gathering of crybabies’.
In addition, he praised Russia and its alleged military prowess, saying it’s a country that ‘knows how to wage war’.
Ramishvili also echoed a talking point central to Russia’s justification for its aggression against Ukraine — ‘Russia considers Ukraine its own, and not without reason’, he said.
‘To put it bluntly, Kyiv is a great city of Russians’.
Ramishvili is no stranger to controversy, have previously been accused of sexual harassment several times.
His comments came as the administration of US President Donald Trump has sharply reversed course on its position towards Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
Earlier this week, Trump called Zelenskyi a ‘dictator’ and accused Ukraine of ‘starting the war’. He also spoke directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Others in his administration have also begun bilateral talks with their Russian counterparts, freezing out Ukrainian and European officials. Ahead of the opening of negotiations, US officials have offered sweeping concessions to Moscow, while simultaneously attempting to impose punishing financial demands on Kyiv.
The US pivot on Ukraine has been welcomed by Russia, as well as EU countries like Hungary and Slovakia that are more friendly to the Kremlin.
While the connection to the US shift was not immediately unclear, Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili said on Wednesday that she was ‘glad’ Georgia had not followed Ukraine’s example and thus is ‘not on the same train’ as Kyiv.
‘We were told that some train was moving, running, and if we didn't get on it, our time would never come. Today, I think we all see clearly how disadvantageous it could have been for Georgia to be on the same train as the current Ukrainian government’, Bochoroshvili said.
Her comments were quickly circulated by Russian state-controlled media outlets, such as Izvestiya, which reprinted them under the headline, ‘Georgian Foreign Minister rejoiced at the different fates of Tbilisi and [Kyiv]’.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the once friendly ties between Georgia and Ukraine have frayed, with Georgian Dream leaders, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, routinely criticising the country. Georgian security services have also accused Georgian volunteer fighters in Ukraine of trying to orchestrate a coup back in Georgia along with the support of Ukrainian officials.
Nate Ostiller
