Georgian ruling party honorary chair Ivanishvili cites 'blackmail' for refusal to meet US Ambassador

Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and honorary chairman of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday defended his decision to reject a meeting with the US Ambassador, accusing the west of “blackmail” linked to long-standing financial disputes and sanctions.

The US Embassy in Tbilisi on Wednesday said that Ambassador Robin Dunnigan had requested a meeting with Ivanishvili on 22 May to deliver a message from the Donald Trump administration and outline steps the Georgian government could take to reset bilateral ties. According to the embassy, Ivanishvili declined the invitation.

In a lengthy statement issued via the Georgian Dream press office, Ivanishvili said he was informed through Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze that the US Ambassador wished to meet him to deliver a message from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ivanishvili confirmed that he “respectfully declined,” offering instead a meeting between Dunnigan and the Prime Minister - an offer he says the ambassador rejected.

Ivanishvili cited previous public statements in which he claimed that his refusal to engage with US officials stemmed from what he described as “personal blackmail” involving his financial assets, particularly a high-profile legal dispute with Credit Suisse and the blocking of his funds by the Swiss bank Julius Baer.

“I also refused to meet with Mr. O’Brien last year, under similar conditions,” he said. “At such a time, I will definitely have a complex that I am making decisions on state issues against my personal interests, which is unacceptable to me in principle.”

The US Treasury imposed formal sanctions on Ivanishvili in December 2024, citing efforts to undermine democratic institutions. The measures have restricted his access to funds he won in court, pending special authorization. Ivanishvili maintained that the funds were not legally subject to sanctions and argued that the restrictions were politically motivated.

He also claimed that during a brief suspension of sanctions last year, he had initiated a meeting with Ambassador Dunnigan, which she initially accepted but ultimately cancelled.

"I was so committed to resetting Georgian-American relations that I even told the American side I was willing to use the blocked funds not for personal use, but for any purpose they deemed appropriate. Money has never been my priority - not in the past, and not now. I explained clearly that these blocked funds leave me with a dual feeling: on one hand, a personal burden, and on the other, a firm resolve not to yield to blackmail. Yet I received no response. This made it clear to me that the Biden administration wasn't interested in the money itself, but rather in using it as a tool for pressure", he said.

Ivanishvili also expressed hope that relations between Tbilisi and Washington could be restored. “The US Embassy should respond positively to the Georgian government’s proposal to renew strategic cooperation on the basis of a clear roadmap,” he said.

Ivanishvili also downplayed the notion that he holds outsized influence over Georgian policymaking. “No principled decision is made without the involvement of the team, especially the Prime Minister,” he said. “The request to meet with me alone has only one explanation - such a meeting has value only against the backdrop of personal blackmail.”