[Joe] Biden cancelling the Charter followed the hotly contested October 2024 parliamentary election in Georgia that saw widespread protests in Tbilisi. There has never been conclusive evidence that the plebiscite was rigged - Responsible Statecraft, reads the article, published by the Responsible Statecraft.

“President Mikheil Kavelashvili’s letter to Trump urges a restoration of strategic ties with Washington. It struck the tone of a forsaken friend, talking about the lack of U.S. focus, raising “doubts and questions among the Georgian people about how free and sincere your administration’s actions are in terms of strengthening peace in the region.” He even bemoans Trump’s reinstatement of relations with President Putin.

The message appears aimed in part at the Georgian people, as it was issued in Georgian on President Kavelashvili’s social media account. But if President Trump really is susceptible to flattery, then the letter’s even-handed tone might not helpfully serve to reinvigorate American ties with the plucky South Caucasus nation.

Nevertheless, the context of the letter is the Biden administration’s decision in December 2024 to cancel the 2009 U.S.-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership.

Biden cancelling the Charter followed the hotly contested October 2024 parliamentary election in Georgia that saw widespread protests in Tbilisi. There has never been conclusive evidence that the plebiscite was rigged, rather than won by the only political party in Georgia that has national reach and deep financial pockets to fund its campaign. That hasn’t stopped some U.S. politicians from continuing to press for sanctions against the ruling Georgia Dream Party, and apply pressure to hold new parliamentary elections.

Yet it has never been clear what purpose sanctioning Georgia would serve, beyond pushing that country towards closer alignment with China. Georgia is a small state with a population of less than 4 million and an economy of $142 billion in terms of Purchasing Power Parity. U.S. trade with Georgia is small, at $2.9 billion in 2024, which heavily favors American exporters, although U.S. trade with neighboring Armenia and Azerbaijan is lower still”, - writes the author of the article.