Ukraine's foreign minister this week called on Georgia to provide "official evidence and convincing arguments" to prove they are not helping Russia avoid sanctions through smuggling channels.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Thursday: "We are waiting for official evidence and convincing arguments from Georgia that they are not doing this. Then we will decide what actions to take if the evidence and arguments are not convincing."
Earlier this week, the Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate, a part of the Ministry of Defense, alleged that Russian agents have established smuggling channels in Georgia after losing large numbers of supplies for military and civilian use because of sanctions.
"At the same time, representatives of the Georgian special services received instructions from the political leadership not to interfere with the activities of smugglers," Ukrainian intelligence said.
"It's not about pasta or buckwheat, it's about military equipment, about military spare parts." Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Irina Vereshchuk said this week.
In remarks aimed at Georgians, she added: "Why do you allow this to your prime minister, your government, which, unfortunately, cannot understand what the future holds for them if we do not stop Russia and Putin today? Talk of neutrality, of not joining the sanctions, of opening air traffic, all that is out of place here. In 2008, this did not save you from war."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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