The News in Brief

Zourabichvili to Appeal to EU and US for Aid for Children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

The Fifth President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili said she would appeal to the EU Ambassador and the EU Commissioner for Health to provide financial assistance to parents of children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and will simultaneously ask the US Chargé d'Affaires to refer the matter to the State Department.

Writing on Facebook, Zourabichvili said her representatives will deliver a letter to the EU Ambassador on May 9, Europe Day. "I listened very carefully to their statements that until this government changes its course, nothing will progress. On the other hand, the EU supports our society, which is still fighting and has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to Europe. Perhaps the necessary funds will be found to help the parents," she said.

"I request that assistance be allocated to the parents of children suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. I very much hope that it will not remain unanswered, because this is an issue that will be symbolic for the entire society, that the EU is still with us today," she added.

On the US appeal, she said: "Americans, who have also been by our side in the fight against many diseases, extend a helping hand to us once again."



Botchorishvili and Sybiha Talk as Georgia and Ukraine Look to Repair Ties

Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili and her Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha spoke by phone on May 6, with Tbilisi saying the call was initiated by Kyiv and centered on "the importance of a dialogue and on further steps in this regard."

Sybiha wrote on X that the two sides "noted the constructive dialogue between our countries and agreed on the mutual interest in normalising the Ukraine-Georgia relations." He added that he was "glad to continue our dialogue with my Georgian colleague following our recent contacts in Yerevan," saying the two discussed bilateral relations, interaction within international organizations, and "confirmed our openness to move forward in bilateral cooperation and maintain active contacts."

The call came two days after Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a brief pull-aside on the margins of the European Political Community summit in Yerevan on May 4, with both foreign ministers also present. Tbilisi said that the meeting was likewise initiated by Kyiv. Kobakhidze called the conversation "friendly" and "interesting," while Zelenskyy wrote on X that "it is important to have dialogue at all levels."

Relations between Tbilisi and Kyiv have been strained for years, starting with Tbilisi's unease over Kyiv appointing Georgian opposition figures, including former President Mikheil Saakashvili, to government posts in Ukraine, and deepening further over Georgian Dream's stance on Russia's full-scale invasion. Ukraine only sent a new ambassador to Tbilisi in January 2026, nearly four years after pulling its diplomat over the dispute.