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Three presidents, one direction: closer to Brussels
Summary
A look back at the political signals from Kyiv, Chisinau, Tbilisi and Minsk's opposition in the days before 22 July 2021.
What did the region's politics look like on 22 July 2021? Two reports from the preceding days set the scene, both pointing towards stronger ties with Western partners.
On 19 July 2021, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili issued a joint statement. They said their countries intended to pursue closer relations with the European Union. The announcement was effectively a rebuke to Russia.
One day later, on 20 July 2021, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was in Washington, D.C. There she asked the Biden administration to impose sanctions on companies in Belarus, in order to put pressure on the government of President Alexander Lukashenko.
Taken together, the two episodes showed leaders in Kyiv, Chisinau and Tbilisi publicly stating a European direction, while Belarus's opposition sought external pressure on Minsk. By 22 July 2021, both messages were already on the public record.
