State Dept on Claims of Georgia Aiding Russia Smuggling

U.S. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said on April 4 that he was “not in a position to substantiate or to speak to the allegation” by Ukraine that Georgia allows Russia to establish a smuggling channel through its territory.

He stressed in the press briefing however that the U.S. has “made the point” that any countries that seek to circumvent international sanctions against Russia, or to support Moscow’s war efforts, “will face consequences.”

“We have seen the people of Georgia, the Government of Georgia, stand with the international community, including in important votes in the UN, in opposition to what we are seeing the Kremlin undertake in Ukraine,” Spokesperson Price highlighted.

He said that the State Department remains and will continue to be in close contact with colleagues in Tbilisi about the ongoing situation.

“The people of Georgia have relatively fresh memories of what it means to be on the receiving end of Russian aggression, including Russian attempts to wrest away sovereign territory,” the State Department Spokesperson further said in the briefing.

Asked if Tbilisi participates in the U.S.-backed multinational prosecutorial team’s efforts to assist the Ukrainian prosecution’s war crimes unit, Spokesperson Price said he would “leave it to the Georgian Government to discuss how they might be supporting the effort towards accountability.”

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