Georgia, the Trump Route, and regional logistics Article by Vladimir Tskhvediani

On November 26, the Acting US Ambassador to Georgia, Alan Purcell, met with Georgia’s Minister of Finance, Lasha Khutsishvili. According to the embassy, the meeting discussed bilateral economic relations, the country’s economic development, US sanctions against Russia, and how Georgia could support the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP).

The Zangezur Corridor in general, and the Trump Route in particular, became a key topic of the talks and effectively shaped the contours of future US–Georgia rapprochement, as well as the restoration of cooperation after complications in bilateral relations caused by the Biden administration’s de facto support for an attempted “Maidan-style” coup in Tbilisi.

It should be recalled that the former US Ambassador to Georgia, Robin Dunnigan, hardly focused on economic issues and openly supported opposition protest activities, including attempts to organise a “Maidan” in Tbilisi. After Donald Trump was elected US President in the spring of 2025, Dunnigan reportedly tried to pressure the Georgian authorities. She demanded a personal meeting with the founder of the Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, to “deliver a message from Washington” and discuss steps to restore the strategic partnership between the US and Georgia.

Bidzina Ivanishvili refused to meet with Robin Dunnigan, and she was soon dismissed, although the former ambassador herself claimed that leaving her post was a “personal decision.”

A new US ambassador to Georgia has not yet been officially appointed. However, Acting Ambassador Alan Purcell, unlike his predecessor, has not been seen attempting to “teach democracy” to the Georgian government. At the same time, regular meetings and gatherings of pro-Western opposition leaders at the US embassy have ceased.

Replacing the politicised agenda, the US embassy in Georgia has clearly shifted its focus to economic issues, paying increased attention to the development of the Middle Corridor. After the Washington meeting on August 8 approved the Trump Route through Zangezur, the US embassy in Tbilisi actively engaged in its implementation.

On November 18, 2025, Georgia was visited by a US State Department representative, Senior Advisor Jonathan Askonas. According to the embassy, the main purpose of his visit was to discuss how Georgia could support the Trump Route (TRIPP). The United States is also paying particular attention to Georgia’s transit potential, and during his visit, Askonas inspected the Boarding Automobile customs checkpoint, which was largely constructed and equipped with US support.

Meanwhile, Acting US Ambassador to Georgia Alan Purcell highlighted the importance of the Middle Corridor at a conference held on November 21, 2025, as part of the Black Sea Platform. He noted that to develop the corridor, the US continues to provide concrete support to Georgia and the entire region, including significant investments in the creation of the New Port of Poti and the use of Georgia’s transit potential for American business. Purcell emphasised that the Black Sea region will be further strengthened by the TRIPP initiative, being developed between Armenia and Azerbaijan with US mediation.

Against this backdrop, opposition claims that, after the opening of the Zangezur Corridor, international transit would supposedly “bypass Georgia,” and that the US would “lose interest” in Georgia’s transit potential due to the pragmatic policy of the Georgian Dream government, which does not want confrontation with Russia, appear unfounded. On the contrary, as the Trump Route project develops, Washington’s interest in promoting investment projects that strengthen Georgia’s position as a key country in the Middle Corridor is clearly growing.

International transit through Georgia has long been open, and its infrastructure is actively developing, with China playing an increasingly significant role in this process. However, the United States has no intention of withdrawing from involvement in the modernisation of Georgia’s transit infrastructure. Washington also recognises that within the coming years, transit volumes will grow so much that additional, “parallel” routes will be required.

The Trump Route is becoming a natural necessity for the development of the Middle Corridor, and the United States intends to coordinate investment activity along this new direction specifically through Georgia.

Georgia, for its part, is also interested in the opening of the Zangezur Corridor, which contributes to strengthening peace in the South Caucasus. This was recently stated by the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili.

“The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), initiated following the peace summit between Armenia and Azerbaijan under US mediation, opens new prospects for the entire region and helps strengthen the Middle Corridor. This is important for fostering competition, so that carriers receive better conditions, making our corridor even more attractive. Competition only accelerates these processes,” said Papuashvili.

According to him, the emergence of yet another route in the South Caucasus is a sign of stability, which will attract additional investment.

“This in itself is a signal of regional stability, which will increase all types of investment — both in infrastructure around the corridor and in other sectors of the economy. Therefore, we welcome this initiative, which will benefit the entire region,” emphasised Shalva Papuashvili.

US cooperation with the Georgian government on the development of the Middle Corridor and Tbilisi’s integration into the Trump Route via Zangezur has provoked a real uproar among supporters of Georgia’s pro-Western opposition on social media. The Acting US Ambassador is being accused of “collaborating with the Russian government” in Georgia — the term the opposition uses to refer to the Georgian Dream cabinet. Meanwhile, Donald Trump himself has faced increasingly harsh criticism from some pro-Western opposition supporters.

Trump is being blamed not only for allegedly failing to help the opposition overthrow the “pro-Russian” Georgian Dream government, but also for the current US administration’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine. His plan for a resolution — initially presented as 28 points and later reduced to 19 — intended to bring the Russia–Ukraine conflict to a close, is also being labelled “pro-Russian” by opponents.

These sentiments are clearly fuelled by forces that have no interest in peace in Ukraine or stability in the South Caucasus. These forces rely on severed international transit routes and the creation of new fronts — both old and “reborn.” All of this shows that while the threat of destabilisation in Georgia, which poses a risk to the Middle Corridor, has diminished, it has not entirely disappeared.

By Vladimir Tskhvediani, Georgia, exclusively for Caliber.Az