On June 5, Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, stated that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war could have been prevented and later brought to an end in its early stages. Speaking to journalists, he argued that major international actors, including the European Union, NATO and the broader Western community, failed to avert the conflict despite having the opportunity to do so. Papuashvili emphasized that even the current US administration acknowledges that the war might have been avoided. He also pointed to the negotiations held in Istanbul in April 2022, noting that representatives of Russia and Ukraine had initialed a draft peace agreement shortly after the outbreak of hostilities.

According to Papuashvili, the Ukrainian delegation was headed by David Arakhamia, who later stated that the proposed terms were acceptable to Ukraine. Papuashvili claimed that after the Ukrainian delegation returned to Kyiv, then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the Ukrainian capital and urged the authorities not to proceed with the agreement. "There was no agreement, let's go to war," Papuashvili quoted the message he said was delivered to Kyiv. He argued that the collapse of the negotiations prolonged the conflict and contributed to significant human losses over the past four years. Papuashvili stated that hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians have died since then, while a resolution to the war remains out of reach. He added that any initiative aimed at ending the conflict deserves support, stressing that acceptable conditions should be sought for all sides involved. Papuashvili further noted that Arakhamia has maintained that the proposals currently under discussion are less favorable than the terms contained in the April 2022 Istanbul draft agreement. According to him, the failure of those negotiations has had long-term consequences for the course of the conflict.

Commenting separately on reports in French media that France had recalled two intelligence officers from Georgia, Papuashvili stated that espionage activities by any foreign country are unacceptable. Responding to the reports, he emphasized that there can be no distinction between "friendly" and "hostile" spies. Papuashvili noted that he could not verify the accuracy of the media reports but said that, if true, the presence of foreign intelligence agents in Georgia should not be viewed as beneficial for bilateral relations. He questioned the notion that intelligence activities could contribute positively to cooperation between states. According to Papuashvili, Georgian government institutions and security agencies possess sufficient capabilities to detect and counter intelligence operations conducted on the country's territory. He stressed that Georgia does not differentiate between intelligence activities originating from the West, East, North or South. "No one’s intelligence has anything to do with Georgia. There are no friendly spies or hostile spies. Everyone should stop spying and espionage," Papuashvili stated.