Russia

WASHINGTON — President Bush rebuked Russia for its "irresponsible decision" Tuesday to formally recognize two breakaway Georgian regions, which further raised fears of a new Cold War. Adding to the tension, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev threatened an unspecified military response if the United States follows through with a missile-defense system near Russia's borders in Poland and the Czech Republic. Bush warned Russia to respect the border of neighboring Georgia and its separatist provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which were at the heart of the week-long battle between Russia and Georgia this month. Bush pointed out that Medvedev's action is "inconsistent" with United Nations Security Council resolutions and with the cease-fire agreement.

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — A U.S. military ship carrying humanitarian aid docked at the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi on Wednesday, avoiding the port of Poti, which is still controlled by Russian forces. The move came amid escalating tensions between Russia and Georgia's Western allies. Batumi, where the Coast Guard cutter Dallas docked, is well south of the zone of fighting in this month's war between Russia and Georgia.

BRUSSELS (AP) — A deal allowing NATO to supply its troops in Afghanistan using Russian territory is still valid despite Moscow's decision to freeze military cooperation over the Georgia crisis, Russia's top military envoy to the alliance said Wednesday. The agreement, signed in April by former Russian President Vladimir Putin, allows the transport of non-lethal supplies overland through Russia to the NATO-led force in Afghanistan. "We are not going to suspend the decision on nonmilitary cargo transport," Col. Andrey Zhukov, Russian's acting military representative at NATO, told reporters. A 2006 deal under which NATO nations lease transport planes from private companies from Russia and Ukraine is also unaffected by last week's decision by Moscow to suspend military cooperation, Zhukov told a news conference Wednesday.

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Russia's ambassador to Moldova has warned the country's leaders to avoid a "bloody and catastrophic trend of events" in a separatist Moldovan region. The Trans-Dniester region broke away from the former Soviet republic of Moldova in 1990. It is supported by Russia but is not recognized internationally. Russia has 1,500 troops stationed there to guard weapons facilities. Ambassador Valeri Kuzmin said late Tuesday that Moldova should draw its own conclusions over the events in Georgia. Russia recognized the independence of two Georgian breakaway regions.

VIENNA (AP) — Georgia's foreign minister warns that ethnic cleansing of Georgians is taking place in South Ossetia and will soon be completed. Eka Tkeshelashvili says the process is being implemented not only in villages in the conflict zone where Georgians and Ossetians lived together. Russian troops remain at checkpoints well into Georgia, saying that a cease-fire agreement allows them to occupy "security zones" outside Abkhazia and South Ossetia.