U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price stated during a press briefing on May 31st that the U.S. strongly supports the Associated Trio of Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine’s EU aspirations and ambitions.
When asked how likely it is that the three countries reach the “major milestone” of EU Candidate Status, Mr. Price emphasized the U.S. role as a “strategic partner” that “strongly supports” the three countries’ European aspirations.
“The United States – as a… strategic partner… strongly supports the European aspirations, the European ambitions of these three countries. We have stood with them as they have gone down that path from independence to where they are now; and we will continue to stand by them as they continue down that path,” the State Department spokesperson said.
Georgian Ambassador to the United States David Zalkaliani expressed his gratitude for the strong U.S. support and said that the U.S. has stood by Georgia on its path of European and Euro-Atlantic integration “[s]ince the regaining of our independence,” Zalkaliani said.
The Associated Trio is a three-way partnership between Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine that cooperates on issues of common interest related to European integration. The partnership has been active since 2021.