Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze again said Tbilisi is ready to ‘restore’ ties with the US after meeting the newly appointed US Chargé d’Affaires Courtney Austrian on Thursday. The meeting comes amidst a now yearslong effective freeze in Georgia–US relations which began under the administration of former President Joe Biden and has continued into President Donald Trump’s term. The US has had no ambassador to Georgia since the previous US ambassador, Robin Dunnigan, retired and left Georgia in July 2025. At the end of her term, Dunnigan said that Georgian Dream had sent a private letter to Trump that was ‘threatening, insulting, [and] unserious’. She did not reveal the specifics of the letter. During the meeting between Kobakhidze and Austrian, described by the US Embassy as ‘introductory’, the two parties discussed Georgia-US relations. ‘The Prime Minister once again confirmed that Georgia is ready to restore the strategic partnership with the USA from a clean sheet. Irakli Kobakhidze emphasised the important role of acting ambassador in this process’, the Georgian government said , regarding the meeting with Austrian, who was appointed in September 2026. In August, Kobakhidze met the interim US chargé d’affaires Amy Diaz to discuss Georgia-US relations. Deteriorated US-Georgia relations The meetings come amid a decline in US–Georgia relations. Washington suspended the US–Georgia Strategic Partnership mechanism in November 2024, after Georgian Dream announced it would suspend Georgia’s EU accession process until 2028. The US State Department said at the time that Georgian Dream’s actions had violated the core principles of the strategic partnership, and condemned, what it called, the excessive use of force against protesters. The US had already taken several measures against the Georgian government in the previous year including suspending more than $95 million in assistance to the government and imposing visa restrictions on individuals accused of undermining democracy. In December 2024, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Georgian Dream founder and honorary chair Bidzina Ivanishvili under an executive order targeting Russia-related activities. Georgian Dream leaders had repeatedly said that Trump’s return to the White House would lead to a change in US policy towards Georgia. However, the sanctions imposed by Washington were not lifted following his election. In early August, the US decided to make its visa bond programme for Georgians permanent. The rules, introduced at the start of the year, oblige Georgians to post a bond of up to $20,000 to obtain a tourist or business visa Georgia is the only European country to be subject to the scheme and is also the only state in the region to be included in a list of ‘high-risk’ countries the US associates with overstays.