Newly appointed EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has indicated that sanctions are among several “options” under consideration by the bloc following Georgia‘s decision to suspend its accession talks with Brussels and its crackdown on pro-EU demonstrations.

Protests have erupted in Tbilisi since Thursday, when Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the suspension of EU accession discussions until 2028, citing what he described as Brussels’ “constant blackmail and manipulation” of Georgia’s internal affairs. During a demonstration on Saturday, protesters launched fireworks and threw Molotov cocktails at riot police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons, resulting in numerous arrests.

While addressing reporters in Ukraine on Sunday, Kallas expressed support for the protesters. “It is evident that violence against peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable, and the Georgian government must honor the wishes of its citizens,” she stated.

She added, “This situation will undoubtedly impact our relationship with Georgia regarding the European Union.”

Kallas mentioned that she had provided EU member states with a range of “options” to address the situation in Georgia, including the possibility of economic sanctions.

“We have various alternatives,” she noted. “However, reaching a consensus is essential.”

Kobakhidze’s Georgian Dream party, which secured nearly 54% of the votes in last month’s parliamentary elections, advocates for maintaining stable relations with both the EU and Russia. In contrast, pro-Western opposition parties and Georgia’s French-born president, Salome Zourabichvili, have rejected the election results.

Zourabichvili’s term is set to conclude this month, but she has stated her intention to remain in office until new elections are conducted.

Kobakhidze has attributed the recent civil unrest to “EU politicians and their agents,” alleging that the West is attempting to orchestrate a coup similar to the US-backed Maidan revolution that ousted Ukraine’s democratically elected president in 2014. Earlier this year, he claimed that the European Commission had threatened him with assassination in response to a law mandating that NGOs receiving over 20% of their funding from abroad register as foreign agents.

Kallas took office on Sunday, succeeding long-time EU diplomat Josep Borrell. As the former prime minister of Estonia, Kallas is recognized for her strong anti-Russian stance and has consistently advocated for increased sanctions against Moscow and military support for Kiev. Under her guidance, Estonia became the first EU nation to establish a framework for seizing frozen Russian assets to be utilized as “compensation” for Ukraine.

Earlier this year, Russia issued an arrest warrant for Kallas due to her initiatives aimed at dismantling Soviet WWII memorials in Estonia.