Russian President Dmitri Medvedev says his country will not agree to any contacts with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Mr.
Medvedev told Italian television interviewers his country considers the
Georgian leader a political corpse. He was replying to a question on
whether his country would discuss a settlement in Georgia at an
international conference
The Russian leader also criticized
American policy in Georgia, accusing the United States of helping
orchestrate the recent conflict there, a charge U.S. diplomats have
denied.
Earlier, Russia criticized the European Union's decision
to suspend partnership talks with Moscow over the conflict. But Foreign
Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko praised the majority of EU
countries for deciding Monday not to impose other immediate penalties
on Moscow for its Georgian offensive.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tuesday formally informed Russia of its decision to cut diplomatic relations between the two countries.
In Washington, a White House spokeswoman says the United States is wrapping up its review of ties with Russia over the conflict.
In
a related development U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is on his way to
the region, stopping first in Azerbaijan, then Georgia and Ukraine,
demonstrating U.S. support for the former Soviet republics on Russia's
southern border.
Georgian troops went into South Ossetia on
August seventh to try to retake control of Georgia's breakaway region.
Russia sent tanks and thousands of troops into Georgia, saying it had
to protect Russian citizens there.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
