Today, Eastern Europe remains a region grappling with complex political and historical processes that influence global issues of democracy, freedom, and security. Osteuropa, a German journal and one of the leading international publications covering the region, offers in-depth, interdisciplinary analysis of issues like war and peace, democracy, and authoritarian regimes. The journal’s editor, Slavist and political scientist Volker Weichsel, shares his perspective on the political crisis in Georgia in an interview with “Echo of the Caucasus”—from the chance to reboot relations with the EU and the role of the Kremlin to the possibility of a revolution.
— On September 29, at the Warsaw Security Forum, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Georgia was “lost to Europe.” From your point of view, is the situation in the country truly so hopeless?
— You know, everything the Ukrainian president says is, of course, his personal point of view, his intentions, and his outlook on the world. He has a specific goal: for Europe to focus exclusively on Ukraine. Therefore, one should not take such statements at face value; they lack objectivity.
Personally, I believe the question itself is framed incorrectly: why would Georgia be lost to Europe? If we’re going to think that way, Georgia could primarily be lost to itself. The most important thing is for Georgia to be a democratic country and a state governed by the rule of law. And that is not something Europe needs, but Georgia itself.
However, if we take the phrase about “losing Georgia” seriously, I am not inclined to believe such predictions. It could be short-term, because there will be no accession of Georgia to the European Union in the next 2-3 years—the same, by the way, for Ukraine. But the issue of a free society in Georgia remains extremely important. The situation is indeed poor today; the country is heading in the wrong direction. But we must fight for the future perspective over 5, 8, maybe 10 years. In that sense, not all is lost. That is simply nonsense.
Ukraine chose to fight Russia. Why can’t Georgia take its own path—not the Ukrainian one, but its own—and fight too? It is not lost. Just imagine if Zelenskyy had been told on February 24, 2022: “Ukraine is already lost.” What kind of thing is that? That’s not true.
The full interview was originally published in Russian in Ekhokavkaza on October 1, 2025. Journalist Khatia Khasaia prepared this interview as part of The Berlin Journalism School’s (BJS) Strengthening Resilience Against Disinformation program, which is supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.