MOSCOW—British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday said he would press fellow European Union leaders to review ties to Russia in retaliation for Moscow's decision to sent troops to Georgia and recognize two Georgian breakaway regions.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier took a softer line, saying isolating Russia would harm the interests of the bloc.
In a last-minute round of diplomacy before Monday's emergency EU summit in Brussels, both Medvedev and U.S. President George W. Bush spoke to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is seen as sympathetic to the Kremlin.
Medvedev faces growing condemnation from the West, which accuses Russia of occupying parts of Georgia, while the Kremlin said it acted to prevent what it called genocide against the separatist regions.
"Russia does not want confrontation with any country. Russia does not plan to isolate itself. Russia will develop, as far as possible, its relations with Europe, with the United States of America, and with other countries," Medvedev said in an interview with Russia's three main television stations.
Root-and-Branch Review
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Russia's intervention in Georgia was dangerous and unacceptable for Europe.
"In the light of Russian actions, the EU should review—root and branch—our relationship with Russia," Brown wrote in a comment published in Britain's Observer newspaper.
Russia supplies more than a quarter of Europe's gas needs. Some observers say this makes tough punitive sanctions from the bloc unlikely.
The German foreign minister said Moscow deserved criticism but that European stability and security depended on cooperation with Russia.
"Thus Europe would only be hurting itself if we were to get full of emotion and slam all the doors shut to the rooms that we will want to enter afterwards," Steinmeier said.
Speaking on a visit to Istanbul, Georgia's Foreign Minister Ekaterine Tkeshelashvili said it was "not pivotal" that the EU impose sanctions on Russia but it must take steps to deter Russian aggression.
Test of Unity
The emergency summit is a test of unity for the EU, which struggles to reconcile differences between states which want punitive action and others, including European heavyweights France and Germany, which favor a more calibrated approach.
Russia sent in its troops after Georgia's military tried to retake South Ossetia, like Abkhazia a Moscow-backed region which rejects Tbilisi's rule.
Moscow has pulled out the bulk of its forces in line with a ceasefire deal but has kept soldiers and equipment in "security zones," which include undisputed Georgian territory around South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Western governments have demanded that Moscow pull its troops back to pre-conflict positions. The Kremlin says the troops are peacekeepers needed to protect the separatist regions from new Georgian aggression.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a statement that Bush, a leading critic of Russia's actions in Georgia, called Berlusconi on Sunday morning.
"The leaders discussed the importance of supporting Georgia's territorial integrity, and the need for Russia to comply with all elements of the ceasefire agreement and withdraw its troops from Georgia," Perino said.
Signaling Washington's support for its Georgian ally, the navy command ship USS Mount Whitney was en route to Georgia. The Pentagon said it was carrying relief supplies but the Kremlin has accused the United States of military posturing.
