On May 21, Kęstutis Budrys, the Lithuanian Foreign Minister, criticized the European Union’s inaction on Georgia’s democratic backsliding and warned against re-engaging diplomatically with the ruling Georgian Dream party unless it recommits to democratic principles. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeled the same government "anti-American" during a congressional hearing, and the German Ambassador to Georgia, Peter Fischer, was publicly insulted by a Georgian Dream supporter in Batumi.

During an interview on May 20, Kęstutis Budrys emphasized that the European Union had missed several opportunities to deliver a strong message to the Georgian authorities over their crackdown on civil society, flawed elections, and violent dispersal of protests. Budrys stated, "I think we missed more than one chance to send a stronger message to the Georgian authorities about the path they have chosen," referencing unimplemented sanctions and controversial legislation targeting NGOs and political opposition. He warned that this failure would lead to escalating restrictions on democratic freedoms, undermining cooperation between the EU and Georgia.

Budrys reiterated that although most Georgians continue to support EU integration, the Georgian government must restore democratic standards. "The best way out of this situation is to hold fair elections again and repeal legislation that limits the activities of political opposition and NGOs," he stated. In response to a question about whether EU leaders, such as European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas and Commissioner Marta Kos, should engage with the de facto government in Tbilisi, Budrys firmly rejected the idea of normalization under current conditions, declaring, "As long as we still have the European perspective on the table, we cannot engage and normalize the current situation."

He maintained that any future engagement would only be possible if the EU-Georgia relationship were fundamentally redefined and democratic norms reinstated. "If we reformulate everything, and if there is a different status for our cooperation, then perhaps in the future there could be considerations like this," Budrys said, emphasizing that abandoning European values would strip the agenda of substance.

On the same day, during a US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Marco Rubio described Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party as an "anti-American government" in response to a question from Congressman Joe Wilson. Wilson remarked, "For 200 consecutive days, freedom-loving Georgians have heroically taken to the streets, wrapping themselves in American flags and carrying posters of the president," and pressed Rubio on potential US actions against the Georgian government.

Rubio responded by framing the issue within the context of US national interest, stating, "We will evaluate whether it is in our national interest to have an anti-American government governing an important part of the world. If not, we’ll take appropriate actions to impose costs on that government." He noted that the matter was under review and that options were being considered, though no specific actions had been announced. Rubio added, "This is a great example of why we rely on our regional bureaus and our local office on the ground to provide guidance on what measures the anti-American government would be most responsive to."

Also on May 21, the German Embassy in Tbilisi confirmed that Peter Fischer, the German Ambassador to Georgia, had been verbally assaulted by a Georgian Dream supporter in Batumi on May 18. The embassy reported that nearby Georgians defended the ambassador, causing the aggressor to flee, while police were absent from the scene. The perpetrator, identified as Mr. Kochiashvili, later posted a TikTok video recounting the incident, using obscene language and referring to Fischer’s position with a derogatory Russian term. He declared that Fischer should be expelled from the country and questioned why authorities had not yet “kicked him out.”