WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President George W. Bush assured Ukraine and Lithuania on Thursday of his ironclad commitment to stand with their fellow former Soviet republic Georgia in its military showdown with Russia.
Bush stressed US "solidarity" with Georgia in conversations with Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who have denounced Moscow's actions, said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.
"All the leaders stressed the importance of standing by a sovereign, free Georgia and its territorial integrity, and agreed on the need for Russia to stop the violence, abide by the ceasefire and withdraw its forces," she said.
Perino had a bluntly dismissive response to reports that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the world can "forget about" Georgian sovereignty, describing it as meaningless "bluster" with no effect on US policy.
"Our position on Georgia's territorial integrity is not going to change, no matter what anybody says, and so I would consider that bluster coming from the foreign minister of Russia, and we will ignore it," she said.
Perino also said it was too soon to be sure that Russia was abiding by its ceasefire agreement, but told reporters: "We do hope it's trending in the right direction."
She also warned Russia, whose forces have blockaded the town of Gori, that "we expect that our humanitarian aid would be allowed to get in by air, land or sea," but added she was unaware of any problems on that front so far.
Bush, bound for his Texas ranch on Friday, was to welcome Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice there to hear about her trip to France and Georgia and discuss the situation with top national security aides in a conference on Saturday, said Perino.
Rice met French President Nicolas Sarkozy in France Thursday and they urged Moscow and Tbilisi to sign "without delay" a ceasefire to end the conflict in Georgia.
"It is time for this crisis to be over," Rice told reporters. "Georgia, whose territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty we fully respect, must be able to go back to normal life."
Amid a global drive to punish Russia, Perino did not rule out steps like suspending the Russia-NATO council, boycotting the 2014 Olympics in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi, or barring Moscow's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO).
"All of those issues that you mention are certainly ones that people are going to be talking about, all around the world," she told reporters.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates emphatically ruled out the use of US military force in the conflict but warned that Russian-US ties "could be adversely affected for years to come."
"The days and months to come will determine the future course of US-Russian relations," Gates told a Pentagon news conference.
"But, by the same token, my personal view is that there needs to be some consequences for the actions that Russia has taken against a sovereign state."
Later, after a visit to CIA headquarters Bush warned the standoff with Russia over Georgia could last for several weeks.
Bush's visit, which ran nearly two hours over schedule, came as US officials tried to work through frequently contradictory and confusing reports from the ground on Russia's military offensive in the former Soviet republic.
"Got a lot of folks, smart folks, analyzing the situation on the ground, and, of course, briefing us on different possibilities that could develop in the area and the region," he said with CIA Director Michael Hayden and Deputy Director Steve Kappas at his side.
Perino reiterated that US military efforts to get humanitarian aid to Georgian victims of the conflict did not mean Washington would defend Georgian infrastructure.
"We are not there to defend the ports. We are there to provide humanitarian aid," she said.
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