US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a meeting with more than 40 countries on Ukraine today and Georgia was not among them.

The meeting with the Ukrainian Advisory Group was hosted via Zoom. His main topic was again the security of Ukraine.

"Since February 24, more than 40 of our partners around the world have taken this step and sent critical military support to Ukraine to enable it to defend itself. We are honoured to have the defence ministers of 44 countries with us today, as well as representatives of NATO and the European Union," Austin said at the meeting.

During the meeting, Austin added that while a number of countries are providing military equipment to Ukraine, many countries have spared no effort "to start new training exercises and we have seen that these efforts bring real-time results."

Several countries that were not present at the US air base in Ramstein in April were added to today's meeting. These are: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Ireland, and Kosovo.

In April, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hosted 40 countries in Germany at the US air base in Ramstein to discuss strengthening Ukraine's defence capabilities. Georgia was not among these countries.

A slight sign of criticism was seen in the May 23 letter sent to the Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili, where the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that America remained "steadfastly committed" to their strategic alliance.

Blinken also added "the United States condemns the ongoing occupation of Georgia by Russia and continues to strongly support Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. At the same time, as the whole world responds to Russia's brutal and unprovoked war against Ukraine, I call on the Georgian government to take all possible steps to support Ukraine and hold the Russian Federation accountable for its war crimes."

The Secretary of State congratulated Darchiashvili on his recent appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs, saying the US had been "proud" to assist the country's quest for a "democratic, peaceful, affluent, and Euro-Atlantic future" since its independence in the 1990s.

“The United States remains steadfastly committed to our strategic partnership with Georgia. During our 30-year relationship, the United States and Georgia have worked side by side in support of global security, including in Afghanistan and at the United Nations. We commend Georgia’s leadership on the global and regional stage over the years, particularly in the face of Kremlin aggression,” the top US diplomat wrote in his letter.

Blinken also noted that the US condemned Russia’s ongoing occupation of Georgian regions and would continue to “firmly” support Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

"Although much work remains to strengthen democratic institutions and processes; diversify the economy; and resolve regional conflicts, we will continue to stand with the people of Georgia in these efforts,” the Secretary of State concluded in the communication.

Blinken’s veiled criticism was quickly picked up by the opposition forces. “Anthony Blinken's statement is the final verdict on the political course of the government," Grigol Gegelia, one of the leaders of "Lelo" party said. Gegelia thinks that such a response confirms that the positions of the Georgian government on the issue of Ukraine leave many questions and that Washington is increasingly irritated by Tbilisi’s position.