The United States did not join a UN statement supporting Georgia on the anniversary of the Russia–Georgia war, while Moscow praised the Georgian Dream government for its “wisdom.”
On August 18, the UN Security Council held a closed session to discuss the 17th anniversary of the war, focusing on the Russia–Georgia conflict and the situation in the occupied territories.
After the meeting, a joint statement in support of Georgia was issued by Security Council members the United Kingdom, France, Slovenia, Denmark, and Greece, along with incoming member Latvia.
“The Russian invasion of Georgia in August 2008 marked the beginning of Moscow’s increasingly aggressive policies toward its neighbors. Russia continues down this path with its unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine,” the statement said. It reaffirmed support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and condemned Russia’s actions.
The declaration highlighted concerns over annexation efforts, unlawful detentions of Georgians, restrictions on education in their native language, damage to Georgian cultural heritage, and other violations. It condemned the killings of Davit Basharuli, Giga Otkhozoria, Archil Tatunashvili, Tamaz Ginturi, Vitali Karbaia, and Irakli Kvaratskhelia, calling for accountability.
It also stressed the right of displaced persons to return to their homes and urged Russia to withdraw its forces from Georgian territory and revoke its recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.
US Position
The UN Security Council has 15 members, including five permanent ones — the US, UK, Russia, France, and China. Traditionally, on the war’s anniversary, Security Council members issue a joint statement supporting Georgia. The US has joined these statements every year since 2018, but this year it was absent.
During the Trump administration, Washington shifted its rhetoric on such conflicts, citing the promotion of peace. The US stopped supporting General Assembly resolutions that directly referenced Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and instead began proposing softer, alternative resolutions.
Russia’s Position
Russia’s deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, praised the Georgian Dream government for its “wisdom” and criticized the European members of the Security Council who signed the statement.
“You have just witnessed a living illustration of the miserable uselessness of European diplomacy. They tried to drag out a conflict from the mothballs that is no longer so relevant as to warrant Security Council debate — with the sole aim of undermining the current efforts to normalize relations between Russia and Georgia,” Polyanskiy said.
He noted that bilateral trade turnover between Russia and Georgia stands at $2.5 billion, and 1.5 million Russian tourists visited Georgia last year.
“This shows the desire of our two nations to restore ties and normalize relations. But there are those who don’t like this scenario. Those who wanted to turn Georgia into a pawn of their geopolitical interests think they succeeded with Ukraine. However, Georgia’s leadership had the wisdom to reject such a malicious path. Our European colleagues, however, cannot rest and are trying to push Georgia into the same tragedy they have already dragged Ukraine into. We will oppose such attempts,” he added.
He claimed that Russia seeks to normalize relations between Georgia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia and conclude treaties on non-aggression and the non-use of force.
This is not the first time Russia has praised Georgian Dream at the UN, even citing its statements blaming Georgia for the 2008 war.
For instance, in June, Russia’s deputy permanent representative Maria Zabolotskaya quoted a Georgian Dream statement blaming former President Saakashvili’s “adventurist actions” — allegedly orchestrated from abroad — for the 2008 war.
