Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili and her Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha spoke on the phone on May 6, with Tbilisi reporting the conversation was initiated by Kyiv and focused on the “importance of a dialogue,” while Sybiha said the parties agreed on “mutual interest in normalising” relations.
The conversation follows a brief meeting between the top officials of the two countries in Yerevan, and comes as part of what appears to be attempts to restore ties after years of strained relations between erstwhile close allies.
“The discussion focused on Georgia-Ukraine bilateral relations, with emphasis placed on the importance of a dialogue and on further steps in this regard,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said on May 6, noting that the conversation took place “at the initiative of the Ukrainian side.”
Sybiha separately wrote on X that the parties “noted the constructive dialogue between our countries and agreed on the mutual interest in normalising the Ukraine-Georgia relations” during the call.
“I was glad to continue our dialogue with my Georgian colleague [Maka Botchorishvili] following our recent contacts in Yerevan,” Sybiha said. “We discussed bilateral relations and interaction within international organizations. We also confirmed our openness to move forward in bilateral cooperation and maintain active contacts.”
Two days before the call, on May 4, Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a pull-aside meeting on the margins of the EPC summit in Yerevan, with Botchorishvili and Sybiha also in attendance. Tbilisi said then that the meeting, lasting for several minutes, was initiated by Kyiv, with Kobakhidze describing the conversation as “friendly” and “interesting,” while Zelenskyy commented on X that “it is important to have dialogue at all levels.”
Relations between Tbilisi and Kyiv have been strained in recent years. What began as unease in Tbilisi over Kyiv’s appointment of Georgian opposition figures, including former President Mikheil Saakashvili, to positions in the Ukrainian government has since widened into a broader rift, deepened by the Georgian Dream government’s controversial stance toward Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine appointed an ambassador to Georgia in January 2026, nearly four years after recalling its diplomat over Tbilisi’s stance following Russia’s full-scale invasion.
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