Europe's Cold War Against Georgia and the Double Standard

In a direct and provocative claim, Archil Sikharulidze asserts that the European Union and Brussels are pursuing what amounts to a ‘full-scale Cold War’ against Georgia, driven by Georgian Dream’s refusal to adopt the hardline anti-Russia stance that Brussels demands. According to Sikharulidze, this reversal of roles is rooted in 2022, when the EU explicitly asked Georgia to either open a second front against Russia or contribute to imposing Russia’s strategic defeat. When Georgian Dream declined, Brussels shifted to what Sikharulidze calls a regime-change strategy. He backs this claim with direct testimony from European civil society representatives and officials who told him they had been instructed by EU leadership not to engage in dialogue with Georgian Dream members and to treat the government as an adversary rather than a potential partner. Sikharulidze notes the hypocrisy: Azerbaijan faces no such pressure despite human rights concerns, while Armenia receives tacit approval for its anti-Russian rhetoric even though it takes no concrete action against Moscow. Georgia, by contrast, is punished for choosing pragmatism and prioritizing its own economic and security interests. This unequal standard reveals, according to Sikharulidze, that EU engagement with South Caucasus states is not principled but instrumental, designed to serve broader geopolitical goals rather than foster genuine partnership with regional governments.