Georgian PM claims Russia unleashed war due to Ukraine's desire to join NATO

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Gariobashvili claims that one of the reasons why the Russian Federation unleashed a full-scale war against Ukraine was Kyiv's desire to join NATO.

He said this at the Global Security Forum in Bratislava, reports European Pravda with reference to Echo Of The Caucasus.

According to the Georgian prime minister, one of the main reasons for Russian aggression was the "expansion of NATO". In addition, Garibashvili said, there were "many other reasons".

"I don't want to speculate, I don't want to quote the statements of the Russian government. But one of the reasons was Ukraine's desire to become a member of NATO. So, we see the consequences," Garibashvili said.

Earlier, Garibashvili stated that he does not see sufficient efforts on the part of the international community to create conditions that would allow for peace talks in Ukraine. 

Georgia, which did not support sanctions against Russia set in place after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, resumed direct flights with Russia in May.

In addition, despite the assurances of the Georgian authorities, a Russian airline flying to annexed Crimea received permits for flights.