Europe’s position on Russia and Georgia

It was telling that by the time French President Sarkozy landed in Russia to tell Russia to declare a ceasefire, the Russians had already declared one. Sarkozy is currently the rotating president of the European Union. Sarkozy made it clear that he didn’t come to pick a fight. President Medvedev hinted at possible changes in the geo-political tensions of the region. He said no country should intervene in the political processes of other countries, and he cited Kosovo as another such example in addition to Georgia. The mention of Kosovo was not incidental�Russia vehemently opposed its declaration of statehood. Europe has little leverage against Russia in regards to the Georgia crisis, says this analyst: Georgia started the fighting, but Russia is also rich in oil and natural gas, and this may have been Russia’s way of trying to renegotiate its terms with the West. All 27 members of the E.U. also need to agree on a course before something can be done.