Russia accuses Kiev, Brussels of trying to drag Georgia into new war

Russia's Foreign Ministry has accused Ukraine and Brussels of attempting to draw Georgia into a new military conflict against Russia. The statement was issued on the 18th anniversary of the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia, a conflict that left unresolved tensions between Georgia and the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Moscow asserted that a genuine contribution to stabilizing the border areas would be the delimitation and subsequent demarcation of state borders between Georgia, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia. The ministry specifically condemned "attempts by the West, the Nazi regime in Kiev, and radical Georgian politicians to involve Tbilisi in new bloody adventures in the South Caucasus." Conversely, Russia highlighted what it described as efforts within Georgian society to reinterpret the events of August 2008, particularly by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which Moscow considers pro-Russian. The Foreign Ministry praised this party for holding former President Mikheil Saakashvili fully responsible for initiating the armed conflict. Russia expressed hope that statements by Georgian politicians regarding the need for reconciliation with Abkhazians and South Ossetians would translate into concrete actions to improve relations with these regions.