KYIV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday he had imposed sanctions on Georgian former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and some members of Georgia's government.
Tensions have been rising between Georgia's governing party and opponents who say the South Caucasus country is pursuing increasingly authoritarian, anti-Western and pro-Russian policies.
Zelenskiy imposed sanctions on 19 individuals, including Georgia's state security service chief and interior minister.
"These are sanctions against the part of the government in Georgia that is handing Georgia over to (Russian president Vladimir) Putin," said Zelenskiy, whose country was invaded by Russia in February 2022.
Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of the governing Georgian Dream party, is widely seen as the most influential figure in Georgian politics.
The tensions in Georgia have spilled over into clashes between protesters and police since the governing party said it was suspending talks on the former Soviet republic of about 3.7 million people joining the European Union.
Zelenskiy accused the individuals on whom he imposed sanctions of "selling the interests of Georgia and its people" and called on Ukraine's European partners and the United States to act.
"This is how it works in international affairs: if you do not respond in time or fail to respond with principle, then decades are lost, and countries are robbed of their freedom," Zelenskiy added.
There was no immediate response to the accusations by those on whom sanctions were imposed.
The 10-year sanctions include restrictions on financial operations, on entry to Ukraine and on property rights in Ukraine.
(Reporting by Anastasiia Malenkom, Editing by Christina Fincher and Timothy Heritage)
