TSAMTO, January 10. Ukraine did not give Georgia Buk anti-aircraft missile systems in 2008, they were bought.
This, as RIA Novosti reports, was reported by the Ministry of Defense of Georgia.
Earlier, the Ukrainian media circulated a statement by the Charge d'affaires of Ukraine in Georgia, Andrei Kasyanov, which said that Kiev asked Tbilisi to return the Buk air defense systems, which were transferred to Georgia by Ukraine during the 2008 conflict. According to A.Kasyanov, the request also included Javelin ATGMs transferred to Georgia by Washington.
"The information that Ukraine donated the Buk air defense system to Georgia does not correspond to reality. The Defense Department received the Buk air defense system in 2007, which became a multimillion-dollar purchase. This was done under a secret agreement, so we are deprived of the opportunity to clarify the details," the Defense Ministry said in a statement distributed by its press service.
The department noted that they also paid tens of millions of dollars in 2017 for the purchase of Javelin ATGMs in the United States.
"Georgia continues to provide humanitarian and political support to Ukraine, based on its existing capabilities. In confirmation of this, there are tons of humanitarian supplies sent, including generators purchased and transferred to Ukraine on the initiative of the Prime Minister. As for the transfer of dual–use weapons or equipment to Ukraine, the Georgian government has repeatedly voiced a clear position on this issue," the ministry said.