Georgian Parliament official criticises “false promises” over Ukraine’s NATO bid

Levan Makhashvili, the chair of the Georgian Parliament’s European integration committee, on Friday said NATO enlargement was among the reasons behind the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, reacting to comments by NATO secretary general Mark Rutte that Ukraine’s membership will not be decided in the near term.

Makhashvili responded to Mark Rutte’s explanation that Ukraine’s entry into NATO is not a matter for the immediate future. While Makhashvili called the remarks “regrettable”, he noted they were far from surprising.

“This is a very unfortunate statement, though not a surprising one. Everyone has seen over the past months and years that, in reality, NATO no longer intends to expand along its eastern borders. What is particularly regrettable is that one of the reasons the war began is precisely linked to NATO enlargement”, the Parliament committee chair said.

“For years, the country was made to fight, was pushed into conflict, was devastated, and endured immense tragedy, and today it turns out this was merely the misleading of the population through false promises. It was the sacrifice of the country on such a scale based on false expectations. If there is anything a country should rely on, it is its own strength, its own capabilities, and its own positions”, Makhashvili concluded.

The NATO chief stated earlier that the issue of Ukraine joining the alliance will not be resolved in the short term, suggesting that membership discussions are unlikely to advance in the near future.