US President George W. Bush assured Ukraine and Lithuania on Thursday of his ironclad commitment to stand with their fellow former Soviet republic Georgia in its military showdown with Russia. Bush stressed US “solidarity” with Georgia in conversations with Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. “All the leaders stressed the importance of standing by a sovereign, free Georgia and its territorial integrity, and agreed on the need for Russia to stop the violence, abide by the ceasefire and withdraw its forces,” she said. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday ruled out US military force in Georgia but warned Russia of long-term damage to its relations with Washington if it does not pull back its forces. “If Russia does not step back from its aggressive posture and actions in Georgia, the US-Russian relationship could be adversely affected for years to come,” he said at a Pentagon news conference. “I don't see any prospect for the use of military force by the United States in this situation,” Gates said, noting signs that Russian forces appeared to be making preparations for a pullback. Officials said US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would ask Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Friday to sign a French-negotiated ceasefire that contains some apparent concessions to Moscow but would lead to the withdrawal of Russian forces. The six-point ceasefire accord provides for the withdrawal of all Russian forces except the peacekeeping troops who were in place in South Ossetia and Abkhazia before the start of the crisis, a senior US official said. It would give the Russian peacekeepers limited authority to patrol certain areas of Georgia until third-party peacekeepers and observers arrive, the official said on condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, about 130 Russian armored vehicles on Thursday moved out of Georgia's western flashpoint city Zugdidi and penetrated deeper into Georgian territory, a top Georgian official said. After leaving Zugdidi and travelling in the direction of Kutaisi, Georgia's second-largest city, the vehicles stopped in the village of Teklati, said Interior Ministry Spokesman Shota Utiashvili.
