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What did Eastern Europe's week of appeals signal?
Summary
A look back at joint European ambitions from Kyiv, Chisinau and Tbilisi, and a sanctions request from Belarus's opposition leader in Washington.
What was Eastern Europe asking of the West in the days before 23 July 2021? Two separate appeals, made on 19 and 20 July, offered an answer.
On 19 July 2021, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili issued a joint statement. They announced their intention to pursue closer relations between their countries and the European Union, a step that effectively rebuked Russia.
On 20 July 2021, during a visit to Washington, D.C., Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya asked the Biden administration to impose sanctions on companies in Belarus. Her aim was to put pressure on the government of President Alexander Lukashenko.
The two moves were different in form. One was a coordinated declaration by three sitting presidents about the direction of their countries. The other was a request from an opposition leader for economic pressure on her country's government.
Both, however, looked outward to Western partners, the European Union in one case and the United States in the other, as the region's leaders and opposition figures set out their hopes for closer ties and firmer action.
