US condemns Russia over Georgia

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US Vice-President Dick Cheney has condemned what he called Russia's illegitimate attempt to change Georgia's borders last month, reports BBC. brMr Cheney added that Russia's actions during the recent conflict with Georgia had cast doubt on its reliability as an international partner. brHe also said the US was fully committed to Georgia's efforts to join Nato. brMr Cheney was in Tbilisi a day after the US announced a $1bn (£564m) aid package to help rebuild Georgia. brThe conflict between Georgia and Russia erupted on 7 August after Georgia tried to retake the breakaway region of South Ossetia by force. brRussian forces launched a counter-attack and the conflict ended with the ejection of Georgian troops from South Ossetia and another breakaway region, Abkhazia. brRussia has since recognised the independence of both regions, and earlier this week dismissed Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili as a political corpse whose leadership it did not recognise. brMr Cheney was speaking at a news briefing in Tbilisi, standing beside President Saakashvili. brAfter your nation won its freedom in the Rose Revolution, America came to the aid of this courageous young democracy, Mr Cheney said. brWe are doing so again as you work to overcome an invasion of your sovereign territory and an illegitimate unilateral attempt to change your country's borders by force that has been universally condemned by the free world. brRussia's actions have cast grave doubt on Russia's intentions and on its reliability as an international partner - not just in Georgia but across this region and, indeed, throughout the international system, he added. brGeorgia has been a significant troop contributor to US operations in Iraq, and it is a key link in the only energy export route from Central Asia westwards that does not pass through Russian territory. brHowever, the aid package announced on Wednesday is limited to helping re-settle refugees and rebuild Georgia's infrastructure, and the BBC's diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says it remains unclear how far the US and its Nato allies are prepared to go in re-arming its military. brOn Wednesday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also announced that Georgia was to receive a $750m (£422m) loan. brRussian President Dmitry Medvedev has accused the US of helping Tbilisi build its war machine, and criticised its decision to send humanitarian aid to Georgia aboard military ships. brFaced with a chorus of international calls for Russia's isolation as a result of the war, Mr Medvedev said Moscow did not fear being expelled from the G8 group of rich nations nor did it fear Nato cutting ties with his country. brEarly this week, EU leaders agreed to suspend talks on a new partnership agreement with Moscow until Russian troops had withdrawn from Georgia, but they did not threaten sanctions. brMr Cheney, who was in Azerbaijan on Wednesday, will end his tour of the region in Ukraine later Thursday.