Russia Unlikely To Face EU Sanctions

European Union leaders seeking to punish Russia for invading Georgia face limited options and are likely to choose diplomatic pressure to isolate Moscow at their summit today.

Sanctions appear remote - not least because western Europe depends on Russia's energy supplies. But the 27 European leaders are expected to offer more humanitarian, economic and moral support for Georgia, and signal that normal relations with Moscow are impossible with Russian troops violating a cease-fire agreement.

French and Belgian officials also have said that EU leaders may name a special envoy to Georgia to ensure the cease-fire is observed. They said the EU might send a high official - perhaps French President Nicolas Sarkozy - on a shuttle mission to the region.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said the EU summit was a sign of strong global support for Georgia. "Russia today has found itself more isolated than the Soviet Union ever was," he said in a televised statement.

On Sunday, Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze asked the EU and the United States to impose sanctions on companies and individuals doing business in its breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia without its permission.

Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia on Aug. 7, hoping to retake the province that has had de-facto independence since the early 1990s. Russian forces repelled the offensive and pushed into Georgia. Sarkozy crafted a cease-fire deal in mid-August, but Russia has ignored its requirement for all forces to return to prewar positions.

Russia has faced isolation over its offensive in Georgia and stands alone in its recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The United States and Europe have closed ranks in condemning Russia's actions but are struggling to find an effective response.

Possible EU actions include a boycott of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, holding off on talks for a broader economic partnership with Moscow, adding to the $18 million in humanitarian aid to repair Georgia's infrastructure, and contributing to the monitoring mission the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe operates there.

STANDING FIRM

MOSCOW - Russia's president said Sunday that his country will give military aid to the two separatist regions at the center of the war with Georgia - signaling Moscow has no intention of backing down in the face of Western pressure.

President Dmitry Medvedev also warned that American domination of world affairs is unacceptable, though he insisted that Russia does not want hostile relations with the United States and other Western nations.

Medvedev said Russia was preparing to sign deals with the provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia that will detail Moscow's obligations on economic, military and other assistance to them.

He said the agreements will lay the foundation for "allied" relations.

The Associated Press