Georgia won't give Buk anti-aircraft missile complexes to Ukraine

Georgia bought Buk anti-aircraft missile systems in 2008 and will not return them to Ukraine because they are not free, the Georgian Defense Ministry said, Qazet.az reports according to TASS.

On January 9, European Pravda, a Ukrainian online media outlet, published an article by Andrey Kasyanov, Ukraine's temporary charge d'affaires in Georgia. The article noted that Ukraine asked Georgia to return the Buk anti-aircraft missile systems. The diplomat said that official Kyiv asked Tbilisi to hand over the Javelin anti-tank missile complexes that Georgia received from the United States. Kasyanov said that the US has consented and is ready to give Georgia newer systems in return.

He stated at the beginning of December 2022 that Kyiv has repeatedly asked Tbilisi to transfer military or dual-purpose equipment, but the requests have been ignored. The diplomat emphasized that Ukraine also asked Georgia for electricity generators. At the end of December, the Georgian government bought 25 electric generators and gave them to Ukraine.