US expert calls for Halt to Western aid to Georgia, sanctions on Ivanishvili’s inner circle

Retired Colonel Robert E. Hamilton, an Associate Professor of Eurasian Studies at the US Army War College and a former director of the Eurasia Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, has issued a strong critique of the Georgian government.

Speaking to Voice of America, he called for a cessation of Western aid to Georgia and the imposition of further sanctions on the country’s “de facto leader”, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

“The only thing we can wish [Prime Minister Irakli] Kobakhidze is a safe flight to Moscow when his government collapses and is replaced by one that represents the will of the Georgian people,” Hamilton stated, emphasizing the perceived illegitimacy of the current administration.

Hamilton criticized formal communications with the Georgian government, arguing that such interactions lend it unwarranted legitimacy. He pointed to NATO Secretary General’s recent New Year greetings to Kobakhidze as an example of misplaced diplomacy.
“Any official communication with this government legitimizes it,” he said, adding that Western governments should end military and other forms of aid to Georgia. He stressed that supporting a government perceived as authoritarian and pro-Russian undermines democratic values.

Hamilton praised the US Treasury Department’s recent sanctions on the Georgian Dream party founder and its honorary chair Ivanishvili, describing them as overdue but necessary.

“These sanctions are a clear acknowledgment of Ivanishvili’s control over Georgia’s government. They also signal Washington’s recognition of Georgia’s increasingly authoritarian and pro-Russian trajectory,” he said.

Hamilton called for extending sanctions to Ivanishvili’s family and inner circle, noting that such measures would increase the personal cost of his actions. “This approach has been effective against Russian oligarchs and would send a strong message to those enabling authoritarian governance in Georgia,” he explained.

Hamilton warned that Georgia’s significance to Western governments is waning due to its government’s actions.

“Georgia was once viewed as a beacon of civil society and democratic governance in a region where these values are rare. If this perception continues to erode, Georgia will fall very low on the list of Western priorities,” he observed.

The sanctions and criticism coincide with widespread protests in Georgia, driven by the government’s refusal to prioritize negotiations for EU membership before 2028. Hamilton highlighted the significance of US sanctions as a signal to Georgia’s leadership: “America now sees Georgia as moving away from democratic values and aligning with Russia, contrary to the aspirations of its people.”