Georgian anger as Russian flights land again in Tbilisi

Protesters held banners saying “you are not welcome” at Tbilisi airport in Georgia, as the first direct flight for almost four years arrived from Russia.

Scuffles broke out as police barred them from standing outside the airport arrivals hall.

The Azimuth Airlines plane arrived at 13:20 local time (09:20 BST), days after getting the green light from Georgia’s civil aviation authority.

Georgia’s government has welcomed the return of direct flights from Russia.

“The beneficiaries are our citizens who have to take a detour at triple the cost,” said Irakli Kobakhidze, the chairman of the governing Georgian Dream party.

The government argues a million ethnic Georgian citizens living in Russia stand to benefit, although Russian figures suggest the number is closer to 114,000.

But most Georgians oppose the government’s move to allow flights and more than 100 Georgian organisations says it is a “direct sabotage” of their country’s aspirations to join the EU. Georgia is hoping for Brussels to approve its bid to become a candidate later this year.

On board the first flight was a delegation of pro-Russian Georgian NGOs and businesses, according to Russia’s state news agency. Georgian Airways is also planning daily flights to Moscow.

The apparent thaw in relations comes after President Vladimir Putin signed a decree ending Moscow’s unilateral ban on direct flights imposed in response to mass anti-Russia protests in Tbilisi in 2019.

Russia has also lifted 20-year-old entry restrictions on Georgian citizens, allowing them to visit for up to 90 days without a visa.

And yet the two countries do not have diplomatic relations.

Russia and Georgia fought a war in 2008 and 20% of Georgia’s internationally recognised territory remains under Russian occupation.

Georgia’s pro-European President Salome Zurabishvili denounced “another Russian provocation”.

And both the EU and the US have expressed disappointment at the latest developments.

US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan questioned the decision to accept “a gift” from what she called an aggressor country.

“I think the important question is why, why now? Why is Putin now making these concessions, these offers to Georgia. What is the price that Georgia is going to have to pay?

“We all know that Putin does not give anything without extracting a price,” she said.

The EU’s spokesperson for foreign affairs, Peter Stano, said earlier this week that the decision raised doubts about Georgia’s commitment to align itself with the 27-member union.

“We and our partners do not allow flights from Russia, flights to Russia and flights over Russia,” he pointed out.

Georgia’s opposition has roundly condemned the return of direct flights as a “reward” to the ruling Georgian Dream for “good behaviour” towards Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.

Georgia did not impose sanctions against Russia and has allowed tens of thousands of Russian citizens to relocate here, many of them escaping mobilisation.

Levan Khabeishvili, who leads the largest opposition party United National Movement, said that President Putin was trying to turn Georgia into a “Russian province”.

But he added that “the will of the Georgian people is unshakeable! We choose Europe, not Russia!”.

G7 summit: Zelensky to travel to Japan to take part in G7 summit, reports say

Volodymyr Zelensky is planning to join the G7 summit in Japan, reports say, in a bid to secure strengthened support ahead of a planned counter-offensive in the Ukraine war.

The Ukrainian president is expected to arrive in Hiroshima on Sunday, although his office has not confirmed the visit.

On Friday, Mr Zelensky flew to Saudi Arabia to meet leaders of Arab nations.

The G7 summit kicked off on Friday with a renewed condemnation of Russia and an announcement of further sanctions.

The group of seven nations, made up of the US, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan, represent the world’s richest democracies. This year, eight other countries including Australia and India have also been invited.

Mr Zelensky had been slated to appear at the summit by videolink, but speculation has been rife that he or his wife, who recently visited South Korea, would attend in person.

The trip will be the furthest he has travelled from Kyiv since the war began in February 2022, and like other trips outside of Ukraine it could pose a potential risk to his safety.

But the calculation is that the risk is worth taking if it means securing even more help in his fight against Russia.

“When a person is somewhere far away, across the ocean, somewhere else, they do not always feel and understand what is happening on the territory of our country. It is the physical presence of our president that is extremely important at such events,” said Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s powerful National Security and Defence Council.

Several news agencies have reported that Mr Zelensky will travel to the summit, although it has not been officially confirmed. In the past few days Mr Zelensky has visited Italy, Germany, France and the UK, where he nailed down promises of military support. He also continues to push allies to provide advanced fighter jets to Ukraine, but so far no country has committed to directly providing them.

On Friday, Mr Zelensky made an unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia for the Arab League summit.

He urged Arab leaders to help facilitate the return of political prisoners in Crimea and other Russian-occupied territories.

“Unfortunately, there are some in the world and here among you who turn a blind eye to those [prisoner of war] cages and illegal annexations and I’m here so that everyone can take an honest look, no matter how hard the Russians try to influence, there must still be independence,” Mr Zelensky said at the summit.

Of all the 22 Arab League members, only Syria has openly supported Russia’s invasion. However, other nations have sought to maintain good relations with Moscow.

Saudi Arabia has walked a delicate line on the conflict - on the one hand supporting a UN resolution calling for Russia to withdraw its troops and pledging $400m in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, while on the other hand resisting imposing sanctions on Russia, preferring to see itself as neutral on the conflict.

It is thought Mr Zelensky will travel from Saudi Arabia to the G7 summit.

Once he reaches Hiroshima he will probably try to persuade more cautious leaders to provide aid, such as Japanese PM Fumio Kishida and Indian leader Narendra Modi.

“By showing up in person, it is a chance for him to ensure he does not come away empty-handed, and that he will head back to Kyiv his arms full with the weapons deals that he wants”, including a promise of lethal weapons from Japan, said John Kirton, director of the G7 Research Group think tank.

Though Japan has been hugely sympathetic to Ukraine, its strict military laws have meant that so far it has only given non-lethal defence equipment.

Earlier on Friday, G7 leaders were welcomed by Mr Kishida at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park where they laid wreaths to honour those who died in the US atomic bombing which hastened the end of World War Two.

The summit’s first day ended with a statement in which member countries pledged “new steps” to stop the war in Ukraine and promised further sanctions to “increase the costs to Russia and those who are supporting its war effort”.

They said they would “starve Russia of G7 technology, industrial equipment and services that support its war machine” and limit Russia’s revenue from energy and diamond sales.

Separately, British PM Rishi Sunak told the BBC the UK would sanction the Russian diamond industry, and would target more people and companies connected to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The summit, which ends on Sunday, is expected to end with a communique on the war in Ukraine and a statement on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Source: BBC