It seems that Russia is wasting no time in taking advantage of NATO's recent refusal to consider Georgia for NATO membership by trying to leverage their presence in Georgia's Abhazia region. The Georgian foreign minister warned:
Asked how close to such a war the situation was, he replied: "Very close, because we know Russians very well."
"We know what the signals are when you see propaganda waged against Georgia. We see Russian troops entering our territories on the basis of false information," he said.
Georgia, a vital energy transit route in the Caucasus region, has angered Russia, its former Soviet master with which it shares a land border, by seeking NATO membership.
An April summit of the U.S.-led Western alliance stopped short of giving it a definite track towards membership but confirmed it would enter one day.
Russia has said its troop build-up is needed to counter what it says are Georgian plans to attack Abkhazia, a sliver of land by the Black Sea, and has accused Tbilisi of trying to suck the West into a war -- allegations Georgia rejects.
Russia may want to make sure that Georgia is reconquered before "one day" arrives.
Really, all NATO did by rejecting Georgia this year is to give Russia a deadline for invading the country.
Ukrainians should take note, as well.
