President Bush and his national security team are scrambling to find the best response to Russia's invasion of Georgia, an act of aggression "completely unacceptable to the free nations of the world."
President Bush and his national security team are scrambling to find the best response to Russia's invasion of Georgia, an act of aggression "completely unacceptable to the free nations of the world."
Russia's president signed a cease-fire Saturday and Russian forces pulled back from a town near the Georgian capital. Bush and advisers, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, monitored the developments and discussed U.S. strategy. He planned a statement from his ranch after the session.
Rice, who was with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on Friday in Tbilisi when he grudgingly signed a truce, joined Bush in Texas; Gates and others participated via videoconference.
The cease-fire plan appears to leave some important issues open to interpretation, including whether Georgia will be able to send troops back into parts of South Ossetia, the separatist republic where massive fighting erupted last week.
U.S.-backed Georgia is a rugged and mountainous country that is slightly smaller than South Carolina. It endured brutal retaliation from Russia after trying to take control of one of its provinces still aligned with Moscow despite Georgia's declaration of independence in 1991.
"The world has watched with alarm as Russia invaded a sovereign neighboring state and threatened a democratic government elected by its people," Bush said in his weekly radio address. "This act is completely unacceptable to the free nations of the world."
Keeping up the diplomatic pressure, Rice planned to go to Brussels next week for meetings with the foreign ministers of NATO allies and European Union officials.
The crisis has chilled relations between the United States and Russia. The fighting comes as the U.S. is sealing the deal on a missile shield in Europe _ an issue already unraveling ties between the two former Cold War foes.
Poland and the U.S. signed a deal Thursday for Poland to accept a missile interceptor base as part of a system the U.S. says is aimed at blocking attacks by adversaries such as Iran.
Moscow feels it is aimed at Russia's missile force. A Russian general was quoted by Interfax News Agency on Friday as saying that by accepting a U.S. missile defense battery, Poland was "exposing itself to a strike."
The missile deal awaits approval by Poland's parliament and signing by Rice during a future visit to Warsaw, possibly in the week ahead.
That is sure to further antagonize Russia. But the U.S. wants to be careful to alienate Moscow and drive Russian leaders away from further integration with the West.
"Russia's actions in Georgia raise serious questions about its role and its intentions in the Europe of the 21st century," Bush said. "In recent years, Russia has sought to integrate into the diplomatic, political, economic, and security structures of the West. The United States has supported those efforts. Now Russia has put its aspirations at risk by taking actions in Georgia that are inconsistent with the principles of those institutions.
"To begin to repair the damage to its relations with the United States, Europe, and other nations, and to begin restoring its place in the world, Russia must act to end this crisis."
So far, the White House has hedged on saying what consequences Russia might face.
Sorry, comments are closed for this post.