The United States cannot allow itself to be humiliated in the Caucasus by a country with a population of 3.7 million, by one individual who dictates their own policies and serves Mr. Putin's interests," Georgia’s fifth President, Salome Zurabishvili, stated in an interview with journalist Alex Raufoglu.

"[For success], two things are necessary. First, the fight for ourselves, which the people of Georgia must win. I see that the people have clearly understood that you have to do the work yourself; no one else will do it for you. And this is not a task that can be accomplished through violence or instability. We must win peacefully in our country, and if you look at the protests, they are extremely responsible, organized, and peaceful. This demonstrates the level of responsibility of the Georgian people, who have surprised us all with their organization. So, this is the first part—we must do our part.

The second part is for our partners to understand what is at stake in Georgia. It is not just about democracy, which again, is something we must defend, but also about the balance of power with Russia. If Russia could not achieve victory in Ukraine and has, in many respects, already lost—though the final outcome is still unknown—it has suffered significant setbacks. It is no longer the great military power of Europe; it has consolidated NATO, and it has failed to generate any significant anti-war sentiment in European public opinion, as it managed to do in the past. All of this constitutes a major defeat for Russia.

However, if Russia, which could not secure victory in Kyiv within three days, manages to secure victory in the Caucasus without paying any price—simply because it has a puppet government in Georgia and can manipulate elections—then it will be able to manipulate elections in many other places, whether in Romania, Moldova, or elsewhere. And it will gain influence.

So, this is fundamentally a question of American strength. I have heard statements from President Trump and the new Secretary of State. If America wants to be first, to be strong, it cannot allow itself to be humiliated in the Caucasus by a country of 3.7 million people, by one individual who dictates policies and serves Mr. Putin's interests. That does not signify strength; it signifies weakness. This thought reassures me, but this is a geopolitical struggle. For us, it is a democratic struggle; for the geopolitical battle, we are not strong enough alone. We need attention and political involvement [from the U.S.], which means we need strong statements that tell Russia, ‘Leave Georgia alone,’" Zurabishvili concluded.