Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has publicly responded to recent comments by French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.

Referencing Macron’s suggestion that a resolution to the conflict could involve Ukraine conceding territory, Papuashvili remarked:

“Sometimes when people talk about values, they mean not worth but price.”

He shared a visual comparison in his statement: Macron’s quote featured above an image from the French Ambassador’s farewell event in Georgia, which included Georgian citizens “funded from abroad,” whom Papuashvili accused of attempting to involve Georgia in the Ukraine-Russia conflict for the past three years.

The statement reflects growing tensions between some Georgian officials and Western partners over foreign influence and the direction of regional policy, particularly in relation to the war in Ukraine.