The United States said Russia should move much faster and warned that delays would harm Moscow's international standing.
Diplomacy at the U.N. Security Council to end the crisis moved up a notch when Russia circulated a draft resolution endorsing a six-point plan already agreed by Moscow and Tbilisi. But the West wants to clarify parts of that plan it fears could allow Russia scope for further military action inside Georgia.
A Reuters reporter at Verkhny Zaramag, on the border between Russia and Georgia's rebel province of South Ossetia, said the only heavy armor heading north on Wednesday via the crossing was a column of Georgian equipment seized by Russian forces.
He saw eight armored personnel carriers, followed by three T-72 main battle tanks. The tanks had markings on their turrets in Latin script. Russian armor has Cyrillic markings.
Earlier, the reporter saw about 40 trucks covered with tarpaulins, some apparently empty, crossing the frontier.
The White House said it had seen initial signs that Russia was withdrawing some of its forces from Georgia but Moscow needed to move faster. Germany, a key trading partner of Russia, described the situation in Georgia as "very unsatisfactory".
"Both the size and pace of the withdrawal needs to increase and needs to increase sooner rather than later... I don't think they need any more additional time," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Negative Repercussions
Russia has already felt some negative repercussions of its actions, he added, noting Poland's decision to host part of a U.S. missile defence system despite Moscow's strong opposition.
Moscow sees the system as a threat to its national security and its Foreign Ministry, reacting to Wednesday's signing of the deal in Warsaw, said: "Russia in this case will have to react and not only through diplomatic protests."
Poland's decision coincided with the Georgian crisis, leading Moscow to posit a direct link and claim the system is aimed against Russia despite Washington's denials.
Some Russian politicians and generals have said Poland must be prepared for a preventative attack on the site in the future. Washington has dismissed this threat as empty rhetoric.
Despite the diplomatic wrangling, Russia's envoy to NATO said cooperation with the Atlantic alliance remained vital and that Moscow would behave in a pragmatic manner. On Tuesday, NATO agreed to freeze regular contact with Russia over Georgia.
"There will definitely not be a cold war," Dmitry Rogozin told Reuters in a telephone interview.
The Georgian crisis erupted on August 7-8 when Georgia tried to recapture South Ossetia, which broke with Tbilisi in 1992. Russian forces hit back, thrusting beyond the region into the Georgian heartland, overrunning the army in fierce fighting.
Russia said it had lost 64 military dead and Georgia announced 215 dead, including 69 civilians. Russia previously said 1,600 South Ossetian civilians died after Georgia attacked the province. This figure has not been independently verified.
Russia claims the right to leave some troops in a buffer zone around South Ossetia. Georgia and its Western supporters fear this is just a ruse, allowing Moscow to steadily undermine the small ex-Soviet republic's economy and government.
Near the village of Igoeti, the closest Russian checkpoint to the capital Tbilisi, Russian troops wearing helmets with the sky-blue bands of peacekeepers were digging into foxholes at the side of the road.
Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said the world can forget about Georgia's territorial integrity after the recent bloodshed, though U.S. President George W. Bush reaffirmed his commitment to this cause in a speech on Wednesday.
