Dimitri Shashkin: Ivanishvili enjoys playing the “fool” in politics; he wants to have many trump cards so that in the end, he can win with them, while Trump plays the “joker” and is confident that both “jokers” are in his hands – whether he will use them, we will see in two weeks

The West is heading in the right direction, but in this bureaucracy and slow progress, the Georgian society is paying the price – In the next two weeks, there will be a strategic meeting in the Trump administration to decide what to do in Georgia. Trump is confident that both "jokers" are in his hands, and whether he will use them, we will see, said one of the leaders of the "National Movement," Dimitri Shashkin, in an interview on "Palitra News."

When asked what the U.S. and Europe could do regarding the ongoing processes in Georgia, Shashkini said that “the West owes us.” According to him, Bidzina Ivanishvili now wants the situation to tilt until June so that "the situation can be neutralized and settled."

“There are two sides to this – one is emotional: the West owes us. The 2008 war in Georgia, the 2014 war in Ukraine, and the 2022 war in Ukraine – the responsibility for this war also lies with the West. If Merkel hadn't blocked the MAP for Georgia and Ukraine in 2008, this war wouldn't have happened. In 2012, when we talked about this being an "FSB operation" and "Georgian Dream" being a pro-Russian force, they told us we were exaggerating. In 2020, when EU leaders came and signed agreements with "Georgian Dream" and discarded them, both the EU leaders and the opposition are responsible for the processes in the West and Ukraine. What the West is doing, it's doing slowly. They are heading in the right direction, but in this bureaucracy and slow pace, the Georgian society is paying the price, including with health and the many people arrested and jailed. Bidzina Ivanishvili is trying to get the process to tilt before June. He hopes that in June, when local elections come, political parties will have to answer whether they will participate or not. In short, he hopes that by June, this situation will be neutralized and settled.”

As for the substantive part, Shashkini believes that “our partners must understand one very important thing – the future security of Europe, the future security of Ukraine, is also about Georgia. If a pro-Russian, 'proxy' force remains in power in Georgia, it means that Russia will very soon rebuild its military potential. The war in Ukraine will end sooner or later, it will end with a peace deal, and Russia will begin rebuilding its military potential. If Georgia remains a mechanism for Russia to bypass sanctions, Russia will restore its military potential much more quickly. If Russia manages to control the middle corridor, which it is doing everything for, as it blackmailed the West with the upper corridor, it will continue in the same way.”

Shashkin also criticized the “Georgian Dream” for welcoming Trump’s arrival, stating, “Trump is much more results-oriented than Biden and the Democrats. The Republicans have a hard-line stance, and if they see their interests, they defend them. For America, the entry of China into the Black Sea and the transfer of the middle corridor to Russia is a red line. Bidzina Ivanishvili is trying to negotiate with the Americans. In the next two weeks, there will be a strategic meeting in America in the Trump administration to decide what to do in Georgia. Given the challenges America is facing, we are not a top priority, but this meeting will happen, and the framework of U.S. policy toward Georgia will be clarified. "Georgian Dream" hopes that a big trade-off between Russia and America will take place. Ivanishvili likes to play the “fool” in politics – his strategy is to have many trump cards in hand, so that when the final deal is made, he can win with those cards, but Trump doesn’t play the fool; the Republicans play the “joker,” and Trump is confident that both “jokers” are in his hands. Whether he will use these “jokers” or not, we will see in two weeks.”

Additionally, Shashkini assessed the developments in Georgia over the last few months and stated that "the government doesn't understand that it is facing not individual political forces, but society."

"After the parliamentary elections, Bidzina Ivanishvili and 'Georgian Dream' entered a spiral. Three things happened: the political process was killed – up until 2024, what worked well for Ivanishvili was that after every election, he left hope in society that perhaps with the next election, the government could change. In 2024, what happened was that Ivanishvili killed the hope that the government in Georgia could change through elections, and in doing so, killed the political process; he confronted the West, the civilized world, and the words we hear from Kobakhidze and other leaders indicate that they are trying to burn all the bridges that connect Georgia to the West and destroy all relations. They’ve shifted to personal insults; “Georgian Dream” has confronted society, the Georgian people, who want Georgia in Europe and NATO. The fact that Georgia is the first country in the world where Generation Z, children born between 1996 and 2010, went to the streets and actively engaged in political processes shows how great the divide is between the government and society. The government doesn’t even understand what the problem is, which is why they carried out searches in political party offices. They were looking for materials from Mossad or the CIA that might have been provided to these people. When they couldn’t find anything, they were very surprised. The government doesn’t understand what’s going on; it doesn’t realize that it is facing not individual political forces, but society," said Shashkin.

Shashkin also responded to questions about the developments surrounding USAID and the investigation launched by the prosecutor’s office. When asked about the investigation “for attempts of sabotage and helping hostile activities aimed at foreign organizations or those controlled by foreign forces that violate the state interests of Georgia,” Shashkini replied that such titles, like the mentioned article, were “printed in the newspapers 'Pravda' and 'Zarya Vostoka' in 1982-1983.”

"As for the hostile organizations, from Kobakhidze to Papuashvili, everyone worked in USAID projects and received funding from there. In 2012, when we lost the election, the entire opposition, which is now in power, was involved in USAID projects. They lived well and received high salaries. It never occurred to us to ask the ambassador or USAID why active opposition leaders were involved in their projects. This is democracy," said Shashkin.