U.S. and Russia Continue Verbal Attacks

President Dmitri Medvedev accused the Americans on Saturday of arming Georgia under the pretence of humanitarian aid. Vice-president Dick Cheney fought back immediately, accusing the Kremlin of “acts of war against the democracy in Georgia”. President Medvedev declared that through his intervention in Georgia, Russia did nothing but stop military aggression and protect its citizens.

Medvedev warned that Russia is now a power not to be taken lightly. He criticized those who instead of supporting Russia’s action continue arming the Georgians and send an entire war fleet to give humanitarian aid. Although he didn’t explicitly mention the U.S., the president clearly meant the battle ships that have arrived in Georgia.

Also in Moscow, the leader of the secessionist republic, Abkhazia, declared that he will “insist” on Russia’s keeping its troops on his territory. The American reply came from vice-president Dick Cheney, who whilst in Italy gave one of the harshest speeches since the beginning of the conflict.

He accused the Russian army of keeping the conflict in Georgia alive, killing civilians and driving thousands of people away from their homes. Cheney added that Moscow seemed to want to impose its will on the countries that it once dominated, and appealed to NATO against this threat.

The European Union continues to place its bets on diplomacy. Foreign ministers of the 27 member states have expressed their desire for their own observation mission to Georgia. Its mandate will depend, however, on the results of the Union leaders’ visit to Moscow, which will take place tomorrow.

The Presidents of France and of The European Commission, Nicolas Sarkozy and Jose Manuel Barroso also hope to get an exact deadline for the withdrawal of Russian troops to the positions that they were in before the conflict. The Foreign Ministers have also asked for an international investigation into the war in Georgia.