Vladimir Putin accuses US of provoking Georgia war

The Telegraph ^ | August 28, 2008 | Damien McElroy and Bruno Waterfield

[Schnucki]

The Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin accused the United States of provoking a war in Georgia to improve Republican prospects in November's presidential election.

In comments designed to inflame tensions between the two countries, Mr Putin told CNN: "The suspicion arises that someone in the United States especially created this conflict with the aim of making the situation more tense and creating a competitive advantage for one of the candidates fighting for the post of US president."

The White House dismissed Mr Putin's suggestion it had orchestrated the conflict as "not rational".

Russia earlier forced to rebuff a French threat that the European Union would consider imposing sanctions at an emergency summit on the crisis in Georgia on Monday.

The French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner said sanctions were among the options being considered as a formal rebuke for Russia's military incursion into Georgia.

But he conceded that the move would split the efforts to present a united European front. "Some will propose sanctions, others will be against," he said. "Sanctions will certainly be brought up."

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, mocked Mr Kouchner's statement. "Apart from that, my friend Kouchner also said that we will soon attack Moldova and Ukraine and the Crimea," he said. "But that is a sick imagination and probably that applies to sanctions as well. I think it is a demonstration of complete confusion."

Brussels diplomats played down the comments by Mr Kouchner following talks between EU ambassadors.

"Kouchner has jumped the gun a bit by talking about sanctions. This summit should be more about helping Georgia than just Russia bashing," said one diplomat.

"The emphasis will be on aid, Russian compliance with the six-point ceasefire agreement and the EU presence on the ground."

A partnership agreement between the EU and Russia has expired and

[RusIvan]

(5) Russian mechanized columns were actually moving into Georgia prior to Georgia’s push into South Ossetia on 8 August ;==

Absolutely not true.

[Ras al Putin]

They need to get their story straight. US provoked it because they want McCain to get elected. No wait, US were using it as a training exercise for invasion of Iran. The Georgians were committing genocide and killed 2,000 civilians....wait, oops, we meant 200. Nevermind HRW says it was more like 44 including combatants. We didn’t get a chance to shoot those NGOs and journalists like we usually do when we catch them reporting without a handler.

[Ras al Putin]

It is when you consider South Ossetia a province of Georgia, as the UN and international community do.

[M. Espinola]

The Kremlin (dis)Information Bureau always tells the truth -- Comrades!