Zelenskyy opens direct dialogue with the pro-Russian Georgian government

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held an unprecedented meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, marking the first direct engagement of its kind between the two leaders.

“There are indeed unresolved issues between our countries. It is important to maintain dialogue at all levels. Ukraine has always respected, and continues to respect, Georgia, its sovereignty and its people. We will continue to move our co-operation forward,” Zelenskyy said, without providing further details.

The Ukrainian president posted on X, confirming that the meeting took place during the Yerevan summit, while the Georgian government stated it had been initiated by the Ukrainian side.

Met with Prime Minister of Georgia @PM_Kobakhidze. There are indeed unresolved issues between our states. It is important to have dialogue at all levels.
Ukraine has always respected and continues to respect Georgia, its sovereignty, and its people.
We will continue our… pic.twitter.com/DGlGDX7lTn
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 4, 2026

Kobakhidze, along with several other figures from Georgia’s ruling party, was placed under 10-year Ukrainian sanctions in 2024.

Relations between Kyiv and Tbilisi have remained strained in recent years, largely due to the stance of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Russia’s war against Ukraine and repeated accusations that Kyiv seeks to “open a second front” in Georgia.

The choice of Yerevan for the meeting with Georgian PM carries symbolic weight, as Armenia has also been distancing itself from Moscow and increasingly positioning itself as a platform for regional dialogue.

Kyiv appears to be acknowledging that it cannot reshape the domestic course of Georgian Dream, but, given shifting regional dynamics, sees the need to maintain functional relations with Tbilisi.

For nearly four years, Ukraine had no ambassador in Georgia, until Mykhailo Brodovych was appointed to the post in January 2026.

Once described officially as “strategic”, bilateral relations have deteriorated sharply since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Georgian authorities have refused to impose sanctions on Russia, declined Kyiv’s requests for military assistance, and senior officials have frequently made statements perceived as anti-Ukrainian.

Against this backdrop, the lack of diplomatic communication between the two countries has been unsurprising. In 2023, at Ukraine’s insistence, Kyiv effectively pushed out the Georgian ambassador, Georgy Zakarashvili, who now serves in Tbilisi.

Earlier this year, Zelenskyy signalled a potential thaw by appointing Mykhailo Brodovych as ambassador, ending a three-year absence of Ukrainian diplomatic representation in Georgia. The move initially raised questions but was also interpreted as a politically significant step, effectively signalling Ukraine’s recognition of the legitimacy of Georgia’s current leadership.

The Georgian presidency is currently held by Mikheil Kavelashvili, the first head of state not elected by direct popular vote but appointed by parliament. However, following the disputed 2024 parliamentary elections, the legislature’s legitimacy has been widely questioned, and the opposition refuses to recognise Kavelashvili’s authority.

Since the beginning of 2026, Ukraine has been actively strengthening its diplomatic presence in the South Caucasus. The meeting in Yerevan appears to be part of a broader regional push. Just a week earlier, Zelenskyy proposed Baku as a potential venue for future negotiations with Russia.

The original article in Ukrainian by EUalive’s partner European pravda can be found here.

Caption: The meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze took place during the 8th summit of the European Political Community in Yerevan. [X account of President Zelenskyy]