Georgian PM rules out possibility of Saakashvili transfer to Ukraine
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has ruled out the possibility of transferring former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to Ukraine, stating that “there is no chance of this,” News.Az reports, citing Georgian media.
Kobakhidze noted that Kyiv’s representative, Mykhailo Podolyak, had claimed that no one wanted to involve Georgia in the war, while simultaneously requesting the opening of a “second front.” “When such people talk about transferring Saakashvili to Kyiv, their statements cannot be taken seriously,” the Prime Minister said.
He added that Podolyak’s public statements demonstrate the lack of good faith behind such claims. “When these individuals speak about transferring Saakashvili to Ukraine, of course, we do not take their words seriously,” Kobakhidze said.
On November 12, Saakashvili, who had been in custody at the Vivamed clinic, was unexpectedly transferred to Penitentiary Institution No. 12. Two days later, Saakashvili, as the former head of Ukraine’s Odesa Regional Administration, sent a letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky requesting to be included on the list of prisoners of war.
Saakashvili has been in detention since October 2021, following his return to Georgia. Since May 2022, he had been receiving treatment at Vivamed. He has received multiple sentences and is required to remain in custody until April 1, 2034.
Meanwhile, Podolyak described Saakashvili as “a prisoner of Putin,” arguing that his arrest and prolonged detention illustrate the Georgian government’s lack of political independence and its biased stance toward Moscow.
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