(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-27 22:46

BATUMI - A US military ship docked at a southern Georgian port Wednesday, prompting Russia to send three naval ships to another Georgian port. The moves by both sides underscored an escalating standoff between Moscow and the West over this Caucasus nation devastated by war with Russia.

The US Coast Guard Cutter Dallas is seen docked at the Georgia's Black Sea port of Batumi August 27, 2008. [Agencies]

The dockings came a day after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, prompting harsh criticism from Western nations.

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The US Coast Guard cutter Dallas, carrying 34 tons of humanitarian aid, docked in the Black Sea port of Batumi, south of the zone of this month's fighting between Russia and Georgia. The arrival avoided Georgia's main cargo port of Poti, still controlled by Russian soldiers.

The US Embassy in Georgia had earlier said the ship was headed to Poti, but then retracted the statement. Zaza Gogava, head of Georgia's joint forces command, said Poti could have been mined by Russian forces and still contained several sunken Georgian ships hit in the fighting.

Poti's port reportedly suffered heavy damage from the Russian military. In addition, Russian troops have established checkpoints on the northern approach to the city and a US ship docking there could be perceived as a direct challenge.

Meanwhile, Russia's missile cruiser, the Aurora, and two missile boats, anchored at the port of Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, some 180 miles north of Batumi. The Russian navy says the ships will be involved in peacekeeping operations.

Although Western nations have called the Russian military presence in Poti a clear violation of an European Union-brokered cease-fire, a top Russian general has called using warships to deliver aid "devilish."

Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn warned that NATO has already exhausted the number of forces it can have in the Black Sea, according to international agreements, and warned Western nations against sending more ships.

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