US President George W. Bush today called on Russia's leaders to respect Georgia's territorial integrity and not recognize the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent.
"I am deeply concerned by today's appeal to President (Dmitry) Medvedev by Russia's Federation Council and Duma, the upper and lower houses of Russia's parliament, to recognize the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent countries," Mr Bush said in a statement.
"I call on Russia's leadership to meet its commitments and not recognize these separatist regions," he said in a statement from his Texas ranch.
Earlier, Russia's houses of parliament voted unanimously for a resolution calling on President Dmitry Medvedev to recognise Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.
The State Duma voted 447 for the resolution with none against. The vote followed a similar resolution passed in the upper house of parliament earlier today.
The vote was described as a continuation of Russian "aggression" against Georgia by the Georgian Foreign Ministry.
"We consider this decision another step in Russia's fight against Georgian sovereignty," Deputy Foreign Minister Giga Bokeria said.
"It is, and will be, if accepted by the Russian president, a continuation of Russian aggression against Georgia and a serious violation of international law."
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev today threatened to cut ties with Nato as a result of the conflict with Georgia over South Ossetia.
"We are ready to take any decision, up to halting relations altogether," Mr Medvedev said at a meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi with Russia's envoy to Nato, Dmitry Rogozin.
Mr Medvedev said that such a decision would be difficult but that ties with Nato had "worsened sharply" as a result of the conflict with Georgia over South Ossetia.
France, which brokered a ceasefire in the conflict which has killed hundreds of people and made thousands more homeless, has called a September 1 meeting of EU leaders to discuss the crisis and review relations with Russia.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said ties with Moscow could be scaled back if its troops were not fully withdrawn.
The US, which has said Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organisation could also suffer, delivered 55 tonnes of aid aboard the warship USS McFaul yesterday - y a gesture of support for Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili that is likely to further inflame anti-West sentiment in Moscow.
Russia sent in troops on August 8 to crush Georgia's bid to retake the pro-Moscow rebel region of South Ossetia, rattling markets and shocking Western states alarmed by the Kremlin's aggressive behaviour in a key oil and gas transit route.
Moscow, which withdrew the bulk of its forces from Georgia's heartland on Friday, says residual troops are peacekeepers needed to avert further bloodshed and protect Georgia's separatist, pro-Moscow provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
But Georgia and the West object to the scale of the Russian-imposed buffer zone adjoining the two rebel regions, which hands Moscow pressure points on key oil, gas and trade routes through Georgia to the Black Sea.
Reuters