Georgian Parliament official: imposing sanctions on Russia means declaring economic war

Levan Makhashvili, the chair of the Georgian Parliament’s European integration committee, on Tuesday said that calls for Georgia to impose economic sanctions on Russia amount to urging the country to declare economic war on its powerful neighbour.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Makhashvili addressed calls for Georgia to impose economic sanctions on Russia in the context of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

“Given that our regions are still under Russian occupation and that there are significant challenges in this regard, considering our country’s capabilities and the risks and threats we face, today we can confidently say that Georgia has done more than it could have been expected to do”, he said.

The official maintained that Georgia acted out of solidarity with the Ukrainian people rather than under pressure from foreign leaders.

“We took on greater risks than a country of our type, with our level of challenges, might normally take - and we did so for one simple reason: to support the Ukrainian people. As my colleagues also noted, this was not because of Zelenskyy, nor because of Britain or any other European state, but because of the Ukrainian people. However, on the other side, there is a certain line - a line beyond which irreversible consequences could arise for Georgia’s population”, he noted.

He argued that imposing sanctions would effectively mean declaring an economic war on Russia - a country with which Georgia shares a direct border and ongoing security tensions.

“Leaving aside the issue of opening a second front, which has become a cliché topic, it is very simple: when you are told to impose economic sanctions on Russia, what does that mean in concrete terms? It means that you, as a country, are declaring an economic war on Russia. We directly border Russia, our regions are occupied, and we face serious security challenges from it - and what are we supposed to do? Declare an economic war on Russia? And at a time when we are not members of the European Union, so we would not have the protection of economic solidarity, nor are we a NATO member state”, he said.

Makhashvili expressed concern over statements by foreign ambassadors, suggesting that urging Georgia toward economic confrontation disregards the country’s vulnerable security context.

“This is what is most astonishing, especially when it comes to these ambassadors, because I am sure they fully understand the context in which Georgia is effectively fighting for survival and the burden our country has carried over the past four years. That is why it is regrettable that we still hear such statements from them. I no longer have any doubt except that they - and apparently their countries as well - are deliberately urging Georgia to enter into an economic war with Russia. Everyone knows where declaring an economic war would lead a country; we have been through it before”, he noted.

He further linked the sanctions debate to the broader discussion about a so-called “second front”, arguing that measures such as closing borders, restricting airspace, or sending volunteer fighters would inevitably escalate tensions and could lead to military consequences.

“That is why we say the second front. They dismissively ask who told you to open a second front. But excuse me - when you declare economic war on Russia, when you close borders, close airspace, send volunteer fighters to Ukraine on government aircraft - what are you doing? How do you imagine it would end? Do you think they would meet us at the Larsi crossing, shake our hands, have coffee together, and part happily? Of course not. These are very serious steps toward military escalation, and we know well how that path ends. It certainly does not lead the country to safety”, Makhashvili concluded.

On the fourth anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war, the ambassadors of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom in Georgia published a joint article rejecting as disinformation claims that Georgia had been encouraged to open a “second front” in the conflict.