Home › Politics › What did Zelenskyy ask of Georgia and air defences?
What did Zelenskyy ask of Georgia and air defences?
Summary
A look back at two demands made by Ukraine's president in the days before 5 July 2023, on Georgia's envoy and on anti-aircraft defences.
What was Kyiv pressing for in the days leading up to 5 July 2023? Reports from 3 July pointed to two separate requests by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, one aimed at Tbilisi and one at Ukraine's air defences.
On 3 July, Zelenskyy asked Georgian ambassador Gela Dumbadze to return home within 48 hours. The purpose was to negotiate the transfer of Mikheil Saakashvili, the imprisoned former Georgian president and a Ukrainian citizen, to a Ukrainian clinic. Kyiv cited Saakashvili's declining health. By 5 July, that 48-hour window was still running.
The same day, Russia launched drone attacks on Sumy, killing two people and injuring 19 others. The strike was part of the wider Russian campaign against Ukrainian infrastructure. In response, Zelenskyy called for a major upgrade of anti-aircraft defences.
The two requests were unrelated in origin, but together they showed the range of pressures on Kyiv in early July 2023: a diplomatic dispute over a high-profile prisoner and the continuing toll of drone attacks on Ukrainian cities.
