Matthew Miller, the head of the press service at the U.S. State Department, deleted a post on X discussing a potential suspension of partnership with Georgia. The updated message no longer included the claim that the European Union stands as a bulwark against Moscow.
The revised post stated that Georgian Dream’s move to suspend Georgia’s European Union membership constitutes a betrayal of the Georgian constitution.
A spokesperson for the State Department stressed that Washington condemns the excessive force directed at Georgians exercising their right to protest and that the United States has subsequently suspended the strategic partnership with Georgia.
Earlier, the State Department noted that the strategic partnership with Tbilisi was suspended after authorities chose to postpone negotiations on Georgia’s European Union accession. The Foreign Ministry added that Georgia should rejoin the Euro-Atlantic path.
From November 28, protests spread through Tbilisi and other Georgian cities after authorities announced that EU accession talks would be paused until 2028. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze argued that the move reflected pressure by European politicians who used grants and loans as leverage and he criticized the European Parliament for years of mischaracterizing Georgia.
The decision to pause the EU talks sparked strong discontent among pro-Western opposition leaders who denounced it as a betrayal of national interests. President Salome Zurabishvili, long a supporter of European integration, condemned the government’s actions. She stated that she would not resign, even as her mandate neared its end, arguing that the parliament was not legitimate at that moment. On November 28 she joined protesters near the parliament and on November 30 reaffirmed her stance.
Earlier the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia described the protests in Tbilisi as violent in nature.