On June 5, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, stated that Georgia’s current authorities are pursuing a pragmatic policy. According to him, while Tbilisi continues to declare its commitment to European integration, the country’s leadership also understands the potential economic consequences that EU membership could bring, particularly for Georgia’s agricultural sector. Lavrov argued that countries with strong agricultural economies that joined the European Union during previous enlargement rounds experienced a decline in their farming sectors due to competition from larger EU member states. He emphasized that Georgia currently maintains extensive economic ties with Russia and other CIS countries, which together account for around 70% of the country's trade turnover. He added that Georgia also enjoys significant trade relations with China and other partners.

According to Lavrov, accession to the EU would place these economic connections under pressure because of Brussels’ requirements for candidate countries. He noted that prospective members are expected to align with the European Union’s foreign policy decisions, including sanctions against Russia. "I believe that now there are pragmatists in Georgia," Lavrov stated, adding that relations between Moscow and Tbilisi continue to develop and that Russian tourists remain attracted to Georgia’s nature and hospitality. Lavrov further emphasized that Western countries have long sought to undermine the benefits neighboring states receive through cooperation with Russia. According to him, the ultimate objective of such policies has been to weaken Russia and potentially cause its fragmentation.

Turning to Georgia, Lavrov stated that similar efforts had been made to distance the country from Russia. He recalled that former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other American officials visited Georgia before the 2008 war. He also referred to the April 2008 NATO summit in Bucharest, where the alliance declared that both Georgia and Ukraine would eventually become members. According to Lavrov, Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned NATO leaders about the decision during a Russia-NATO meeting but received no clear explanation. Lavrov claimed that the announcement encouraged former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to believe that Georgia had broad support from the alliance, leading to what he described as aggression against the separatist South Ossetia region. He stated that the operation included attacks on Russian peacekeepers and resulted in civilian casualties.

Lavrov also referred to an EU fact-finding commission established after the conflict, arguing that its conclusions indicated that Saakashvili had initiated the war. He noted, however, that critics of Russia’s role in the conflict continue to accuse Moscow of occupying the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. According to Lavrov, many European politicians continue to maintain that [Russia occupied parts of Georgia], including [the separatist territories of] Abkhazia and South Ossetia, while disregarding Moscow’s interpretation of the events that preceded the conflict.