Miliband slams Russia over breakaway Georgian states

Published on Wednesday 27 August 2008 10:33

DAVID MILIBAND will make a keynote speech in Ukraine today strongly condemning Russia's decision to formally recognise two breakaway regions of Georgia.

The foreign secretary said he was visiting Kiev in a bid to assemble the "widest possible coalition against Russian aggression".

Russia's president Dmitri Medvedev was accused of "inflaming" the crisis yesterday by insisting that South Ossetia and Abkhazia should be independent.

Mr Medvedev said: "We are not afraid of anything, including the prospect of a new Cold War."

He said the West would have to "understand the reason behind" the decision to recognise the regions if it wanted to preserve good relations with Russia.

Mr Miliband said Russia's recognition of the two regions was "unjustifiable and unacceptable".

The Foreign Secretary was backed by Western leaders including US President George Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.