Putin accuses the US of plotting war in Georgia (Roundup)

Aug 28, 2008, 16:32 GMT

Moscow - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused the United States of plotting this month's war in Georgia.

'It's not only that the US administration could not restrain the Georgian leadership from this criminal act. The American side effectively armed and trained the Georgian army,' Putin said in an interview with CNN, also shown on Russian state television Wednesday.

'Why spend many years in hard negotiations and seeking for a difficult compromise solution in the peacekeeping process? It's easier to arm one side and push it into killing the other side, and the job is done,' he said.

Russia has been isolated by Western partners after moving it's army into Georgia and recognizing the independence of the former Soviet states breakaway regions in the aftermath of the conflict.

But Putin claimed the fighting was triggered by politicians in Washington in an attempt to give an advantage one of the competing US presidential candidates, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama.

The former president gave no evidence to support his statements, which he called 'conjecture,' but said the US action forced Russia's hand.

'The suspicion arises that someone in the United States has specially created this conflict with the aim of to aggravating the situation and to benefit one of the candidates in the struggle for the post of president of the United States,' he said at his Black Sea residence in Sochi.

Russia had no alternative but to push into Georgia after its peacekeeping troops in South Ossetia came under Georgian fire early in August, Putin said in an interview with the US broadcaster.

He added that he was disappointed that Washington had not done more to stop Georgia's assault.

'We hoped the US administration would intervene in the conflict to stop the aggressive action of the Georgian leadership. Nothing of the kind happened,' the prime minister said.

Putin is believed by many to still have the final say over Kremlin decisions. He was the first to speak out against Georgian actions and to visit Russia's 58th army that bore the brunt of the fighting in Georgia.