Saakashvili, who is currently a Ukrainian citizen, announced the decision to stop his hunger strike on March 10, 17 days after it started.

"I have received a letter from Georgian fighters who have defended Ukraine since 2014 and of whom I am proud of and friends with. They ask me to stop the hunger strike and join the struggle on a full scale. I have received a similar request from representatives of the team of the commander in chief of the Ukrainian armed forces," Saakashvili said, adding that he will end his hunger strike in three days.

Saakashvili, who held a 50-day hunger strike while in custody last year, also expressed his supported to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in his ongoing fight against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Saakashvili, 54, has been in custody since October 1, when he was detained shortly after returning to Georgia from self-imposed exile. He is serving a six-year sentence after being convicted in absentia of abuse of office, a charge he called politically motivated.

He is currently on trial on separate charges of violently dispersing an anti-government rally in November 2007. He has also been charged with embezzlement and illegally crossing Georgia's border. He has rejected those charges as well, calling them politically motivated.

Saakashvili served as Georgia's president from 2004 to 2013.