Salome Zourabichvili: U.S. must not be humiliated in Caucasus by one man serving Putin's interests
Zourabichbili urges decisive actions from US
“The United States cannot afford to be humiliated in the Caucasus by one man [Bidzina Ivanishvili, chairman of ‘Georgian Dream’ and de facto leader of Georgia serving Putin’s interests,” said Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili, in an interview with American journalist Alex Raufoglu.
Salome Zourabichvili’s Interview: Key takeaways
“[For Georgia’s success], two things are necessary. First, the people must fight for themselves and win. I see that people have clearly understood: they must act on their own, as no one else will do it for them. This is not a battle to be won through violence or instability; we must prevail through peaceful means. Look at the protests—they are extremely organized and peaceful. This demonstrates the level of responsibility of the Georgian people. So, this first part is up to us.
The second part requires the involvement of our partners. They must understand what is at stake in Georgia. It is not only about democracy but also about the real balance of power with Russia.
Russia failed to win in Ukraine and has essentially lost in many respects <…>. It is no longer a major European military power and has only strengthened NATO <…>.
However, while Russia couldn’t take Kyiv in three days, it could win in the Caucasus without any losses. Simply because it has a puppet government in Georgia and can manipulate elections. If [it succeeds here without consequences], it will interfere in elections in other countries—Romania, Moldova—and gain influence.
This is a question of how strong America is. I have heard statements from President Trump and the new Secretary of State. If America truly wants to be a leader and strong, it cannot afford to be humiliated in the Caucasus, in a country of 3.7 million people, by one man who dictates policy and serves Putin’s interests.
The fight for democracy is entirely the responsibility of the Georgian people. But we are not strong enough for a geopolitical battle; we need the attention and political involvement of the United States. We need decisive statements directed at Russia: ‘Leave Georgia alone.’”
On January 18, Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili, attended a pre-inauguration meeting of the U.S. Republican Party at the invitation of Donald Trump Jr. During the meeting, she met with members of Trump’s future cabinet, including Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth.
On January 20, Zourabichvili attended President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Following a series of official meetings, she announced that Western partners are ready to assist Georgia in holding new parliamentary elections.
The parliamentary elections held on October 26, 2024, triggered mass protests across Georgia. Four opposition groups—three coalitions and one party—entered the parliament but unanimously declared the elections massively rigged. They refused to recognize the new parliament’s legitimacy and renounced their mandates.
Zourabichbili urges decisive actions from US
