Both the U.S. and Europe immediately sought to enlist Georgia in resistance to the Russian invasion, reads the article, published by the International Crisis Group [ICG].

“Four years on, the war in Ukraine continues to dominate the strategic thinking of Georgia’s government. News of Russia’s initial onslaught jolted the country, which suffered its own Russian invasion in 2008, and caused the government to fear that Georgia might be the next target.

Both the U.S. and Europe immediately sought to enlist Georgia in resistance to the Russian invasion. The U.S. sent private requests for Georgia to aid Ukraine in some way – by supplying weapons from its stockpiles to Kyiv (which Washington would then replace) or by imposing bilateral sanctions on Russia. Brussels also repeatedly urged Georgian Dream to align its foreign policy with that of the EU. Georgia, however, perceived these entreaties to help Ukraine as an effort to exploit the country’s pro-Western orientation, at a potentially ruinous cost to Georgians themselves. The U.S. may not have thought its requests were provocative, since they were making similar appeals to partners around the world, but officials on both sides now say Washington failed to take Georgia’s unique sensitivities into account.

Georgian Dream, which has moved sharply to the right during its time in power, has depicted these entreaties as the work of a shadowy “global war party” based in Western capitals, which wishes to turn Georgia into a “second front” in a conflict with Russia. The government turned down the requests, instead seeking to avoid antagonising Russia while opening the door to deeper economic ties with its neighbour, re-establishing direct flights to Russian cities and increasing oil and gas purchases”, - reads the article.