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Associated Press
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Aug 29, 08 1:10 PM CDT
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Georgia pulled its diplomats from Moscow today, charging that it cannot engage in diplomacy with an “aggressor country,” the AP reports. A spokesman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the Georgians’ cutting of diplomatic ties would not benefit relations between the two countries. Russian troops remain in Georgia, both in the breakaway republics and the “buffer zone” in the country proper.
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Associated Press
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Aug 29, 08 10:30 AM CDT
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Russia intends to absorb Georgia’s breakaway province of South Ossetia “in several years” or perhaps sooner, the speaker of the region’s parliament tells AP. In meetings this week in Moscow between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and South Ossetian leader, Eduard Kokoity, the intent was “firmly stated by both leaders,” the speaker added.
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New York Times
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Aug 29, 08 8:40 AM CDT
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When the Russian government recognized South Ossetia as an independent state last week, the international reaction was not only anger but incredulity. The breakaway Georgian province has only 70,000 citizens, and they have suffered both wretched poverty and years of fighting. But citizens insist that theirs is a viable state, reports the New York Times . "Why can’t Liechtenstein be here?" asked one Ossetian, referring to the wealthy European principality of about the same size.
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CNN
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Aug 29, 08 4:26 AM CDT
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Invoking the era of Cold War conspiracies, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has accused the US of sparking conflict in Georgia to give John McCain a campaign boost. “They need a small victorious war,” the told CNN. He insisted the US encouraged Georgia to attack their two breakaway regions earlier this month, forcing Russia to intervene. The White House called the accusations “absurd."
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Financial Times (UK)
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Aug 28, 08 2:23 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Moscow may physically stand in between Beijing and Washington, but Russia’s aggressive behavior could bring the US and China closer together, Geoff Dyer argues in the Financial Times . The Kremlin’s interference in Georgia has Washington seething, and “a low-level confrontation in Georgia that pits Russia against the US helps China’s short-term interests rather well,” writes Dyer.
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Guardian (UK)
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Aug 28, 08 8:21 AM CDT
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The European Union is considering sanctions against the Great Bear over its incursion into Georgia, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said today, as EU leaders head to an emergency summit. And a Russian plea for support from the East was strongly rebuffed by members of an Asian alliance that includes China, the Guardian reports.
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Financial Times (UK)
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Aug 27, 08 9:04 AM CDT
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Yesterday Russia recognized the Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states—a move that Dmitry Medvedev calls "a heavy decision." Writing in the Financial Times , the Russian president says that independence for the two breakaway regions, which have suffered under Georgia's "vicious war on its minority nations," became inevitable after the "madman" Mikheil Saakashvili ordered the invasion of Tskhinvali.
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Associated Press
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Aug 27, 08 7:42 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A US military ship docked at the Georgian port of Batumi today on a humanitarian aid mission, the AP reports. Early reports had the ship headed to Poti, which was heavily damaged and is still occupied by Russian troops, but Batumi is well south of the combat zone. One top Russian general called the US use of a military vessel for humanitarian work “devilish.”
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Guardian (UK)
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Aug 26, 08 1:03 PM CDT
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Russia's military actions in Georgia sent shudders throughout the region, Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko writes in the Guardian . Not only did the war reveal the Kremlin's willingness to commit "massacres" for political gain; it also exposed the weakness of the UN and European security organizations. The West needs to send peacekeepers—and continue the NATO accession process for Georgia and Ukraine.
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BBC
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Aug 26, 08 7:29 AM CDT
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Thumbing its nose at the West, Russia has officially recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Dmitry Medvedev announced today, following votes in the Russian parliament. The move flies in the face of a plea from President Bush that Russia refrain from doing so, and the US State Department’s warning that it could be “inconsistent with international law.” Earlier today, Russia canceled a visit from NATO’s secretary general.
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Independent (UK)
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Aug 25, 08 6:37 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Russian lawmakers voted unanimously today to recognize the independence of two Georgian breakaway regions, leaving the final decision to President Dmitry Medvedev, the Independent reports. The move threatens to further strain Russian-Western relations as Russian troops remained in Georgia with orders to inspect all shipments arriving at a Black Sea port.
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Associated Press
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Aug 25, 08 12:33 PM CDT
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Dick Cheney will visit Georgia next week to strengthen ties with the battered US ally, the AP reports. The vice president will also visit Azerbaijan and Ukraine to emphasize the US commitment to the former Soviet republics, a White House spokesman said today in announcing the trip, which is to begin Sept. 2.
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New York Times
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Aug 25, 08 10:05 AM CDT
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A fretful Eastern Europe is hoping Germany can play a key diplomatic role in its stare-down with Russia, the New York Times reports. Until recently, relations between Moscow and Berlin were too cozy for the Caucasus’ tastes, but East German-born Angela Merkel has distanced herself from Russia just enough to be a credible mediator, criticizing the country's leaders on democracy, press freedoms, and human rights.
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Associated Press
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Aug 24, 08 12:57 PM CDT
(AP) -
A US Navy warship carrying humanitarian aid anchored at the Georgian port of Batumi today, sending a strong signal of support to an embattled ally as Russian forces built up around two separatist regions. But a top Russian general suggested that the presence of US and other NATO ships in the Black Sea would worsen tensions already at a post-Cold War low.
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Reuters
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Aug 23, 08 10:35 AM CDT
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Russia says it will continue to patrol the key Black Sea port of Poti despite Western demands that it pull back to pre-conflict positions, Reuters reports. A Russian general said troops will continue "peacekeeping" operations there even though the city falls outside the perimeter agreed upon in the recent cease-fire.