Russia regrets freeze in EU talks

MOSCOW - Russia on Tuesday hit out at EU leaders for freezing strategic talks over the Georgia crisis, but was also relieved that no economic sanctions were ordered.

As Russia and its critics kept up their diplomatic offensives, US Vice President Dick Cheney was to head for Georgia in a show of US support while Russia's foreign minister was to hold talks in Turkey.

EU leaders decided at an emergency summit in Brussels on Monday to freeze talks on a new EU-Russia accord with Britain and Eastern European nations pushing for a hard line against Russia's military offensive in Georgia and its recognition of two separatist regions.

"The intention to freeze talks about a new partnership agreement is a cause for regret, although Moscow over the past two years has got used to artificial obstacles to this document," a foreign ministry statement said.

"As a whole, we believe that our partnership with the European Union should not be hostage to differences of opinion," the statement said, adding that Moscow was "ready for constructive, fair cooperation" with the EU.

Russia had repeatedly warned the EU against imposing economic sanctions in retaliation for Russia's actions in Georgia.

And Russian newspapers claimed a diplomatic "victory" in avoiding an economic backlash. The Tvoi Den tabloid poured scorn on the EU summit with a front-page headline "Europe Can Keep Sucking Our Oil and Gas".

A cartoon mocked Russia's chief European critics, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, his foreign minister, David Miliband, and Polish President Lech Kaczynski.

A headline in the Vremya Novostei newspaper said: "The EU reprimanded Russia only in words." The government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta said the European Union should "lap up" the consequences of Georgian "aggression".

The fact that the EU had not gone ahead with sanctions "looks, at least at this stage, like a clear victory for proponents of dialogue with Moscow," said Rossiiskaya Gazeta.

Russian officials were to give their verdict later on the emergency EU summit to react to Russia's war with Georgia.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was due in Turkey for talks on the Georgia crisis with Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan.

US Vice President Dick Cheney leaves Washington on Tuesday on a four-nation show of support for US allies Georgia and Ukraine after the conflict.

Talks on how to offset reliance on Russian oil and gas are high on the agenda for the visit to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Italy. Cheney will be the highest ranking US official to visit Tbilisi since Russian tanks rolled into its small neighbour.

China meanwhile urged Russia and Georgia to resolve the conflict through dialogue, again refusing to openly choose sides in the dispute.

"We hope the relevant countries properly resolve the issues through dialogue and consultation," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told journalists in Beijing.

Russian forces have remained deep inside Georgian territory since their August 8 offensive to smash a Georgian attack on the separatist province of South Ossetia.

Russia's actions in the conflict have drawn fierce Western condemnation.

At the EU summit, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would visit Moscow and Tbilisi next Monday with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana for talks in the two capitals.

"The meeting on September 8 is going to be crucial for relations between the EU and Russia," said Sarkozy, who brokered a six-point ceasefire agreement that ended the conflict between Georgia and Russia in August.

The EU voiced support for Georgia and promised help with reconstruction and agreed to send a "fact-finding mission" immediately - with the possibility later of "an increased European Union commitment on the ground".

The EU leaders also committed to organising an international donor conference to drum up aid for Georgia's reconstruction.