If Georgia does not comply with Ukraine's demands for the release of its ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, international sanctions will remain the only leverage. This was stated by the deputy of the ruling party of the Verkhovna Rada David Arakhamia. He expressed hope that in 2024 the opposition will win the parliamentary elections in Georgia, which should restore the territorial integrity of the country, i.e. de-occupy the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia under Russian control.
Part of Georgia's radical opposition called on its authorities to agree to Volodymyr Zelensky's request and allow Mikheil Saakashvili, exhausted from a hunger strike, to leave for Kyiv. At the same time, the chairman of the ruling party of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, noted that the Ukrainian authorities, together with the Georgian opposition, may try to prevent Georgia from being granted the status of an EU candidate. He also noted that if Georgia imposed sanctions against the Russian Federation, the country's economy would lose $2.5 billion.
