Georgia did not receive Buk anti-aircraft systems from Ukraine free of charge, but rather as part of a secret arms deal, the country’s defense ministry said on Tuesday.
The statement came in response to a Ukrainian diplomat who alleged that Tbilisi was refusing to return weapons that Kiev had gifted to the Caucasian nation more than a decade ago.
In a statement, the ministry castigated “the incorrect information spread by experts or individual media outlets” about the Buk deal.
“It seems that Ukraine handed over Buk air-defense systems to Georgia for free, which is not true,” it said, adding that Georgia “had received the Buk systems in 2007 through a multi-million-dollar purchase.
“This was done under a secret agreement, which is why we cannot provide more specifics,” it explained.
The defense ministry added that, while Georgia is offering Ukraine humanitarian and diplomatic support, Tbilisi “has repeatedly stated its clear position” on shipments of weapons and dual-use goods to Kiev.
It also noted that it had paid tens of millions of dollars in 2017 to purchase Javelin anti-tank systems from the US.