First President of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk has responded to reports about the appointment of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili as Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister and said that Ukraine would itself decide who, where and how to appoint.

He called the Georgian side's statement on recalling the ambassador "extreme."

"I think this statement was extreme. Saakashvili is a citizen of Ukraine. He is not a citizen of Georgia. The Ukrainian authorities can make any decision regarding his appointment," Kravchuk told Ukrainian media.

The above comes after Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze sent a letter to the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada. As stated in the letter, Saakashvili’s appointment would overshadow the political cooperation between the two governments and their joint efforts. Prior to that, the Prime Minister of Georgia also made a comment, saying that the appointment of a person convicted and wanted in Georgia as Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister was categorically unacceptable. “Of course, such a step will be followed by a relevant reaction from Georgia. We have not recalled the ambassador yet, but if such a decision is made, of course, we will at least recall the ambassador for consultations," Gakharia said.