WASHINGTON: The United States yesterday accused Russia of using military action to punish Georgia for being a Western ally and said Moscow could face serious consequences for years to come.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates ruled out using US military force in Georgia but he said the Pentagon would review all aspects of its relations with Russia’s military.
Gates, the most experienced Russia expert in the top ranks of the Bush administration, said Moscow’s actions had “profound implications for our security relationship going forward, both bilaterally and with NATO.”
“If Russia does not step back from its aggressive posture and actions in Georgia, the US-Russian relationship could be adversely affected for years to come,” Gates, a former CIA director and Soviet expert at the intelligence agency, told reporters at the Pentagon.
“My personal view is that there need to be some consequences for the actions that Russia has taken against a sovereign state,” he said.
Russian troops and armor moved in or around at least three Georgian towns yesterday, ignoring demands by Washington that Moscow respect Georgia’s territorial integrity. Reuters witnesses saw Russian troops in the key central Georgian town of Gori and outside the western town of Zugdidi. Residents in the Black Sea port of Poti saw a Russian incursion.
In Moscow, the Russian General Staff said it was legitimate for “Russian peacekeepers” to be in Poti and for what it termed “reconnaissance parties” to be in Gori, two days after Russia signed up to a French-led peace plan to stop the fighting.
Fighting between Russian and Georgian forces began last week after Georgia tried to regain control of the pro-Russian separatist province of South Ossetia and Russia launched a massive counter-offensive. Both sides have agreed to a French-brokered cease-fire.
US President George W. Bush has sent Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to France to consult on efforts to end the conflict and Tbilisi to show US support for Georgia, following criticism that Washington’s first response was lackluster.
