President Bush: 'Russia Has Damaged Its Credibility'

President Bush says Russian bullying and intimidation of Georgia must stop.

ByABC News
August 15, 2008, 9:19 AM

WASHINGTON D.C., Aug 15, 2008 — -- As the conflict in the Caucasus deepens, President Bush spoke to reporters just outside the Oval Office before traveling to his Texas ranch for a two-week stay.

Bush said he would get regular updates from Rice and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates about the continuing showdown between Moscow and Tibilisi over two separatist provinces in Georgia.

Here's what he said:

Good morning. I've just received an update from my national security team on the situation in Georgia. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Tbilisi. She's conferring with President Saakashvili, and expressing America's whole-hearted support for Georgia's democracy.

She will be traveling to Crawford, where I will meet her, and she will bring me up to date on what she has seen and what she heard in Georgia, as well as in Paris -- I mean in France. She did not go to Paris.

And Secretary of Defense Gates will keep me briefed on the humanitarian assistance to the people of Georgia.

We're working closely with our partners in Europe and other members of the G-7 to bring a resolution to this crisis. The United States and our allies stand with the people of Georgia and their democratically elected government.

Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected. Moscow must honor its commitment to withdraw its invading forces from all Georgian territory.

So Americans listening today may wonder why events taking place in a small country half way around the world matter to the United States. In the years since its gained independence after the Soviet Union's collapse, Georgia's become a courageous democracy. Its people are making the tough choices that are required of free societies.

Since the Rose Revolution in 2003, the Georgian people have held free elections, opened up their economy, and built the foundations of a successful democracy.

Georgia has sent troops to Afghanistan and Iraq to help others achieve the liberty that they struggled so hard to attain. And to further strengthen their democracy, Georgia has sought to join the free institutions of the West.