Russia's recognition of the breakaway Georgian regions will not be embraced by the international community or United Nations, the White House said Tuesday. ( dpa )
"This is not an act that will be recognized by the UN Security Council. It will be dead on arrival," spokesman Tony Fratto said in Crawford, Texas, where President George W Bush is vacationing.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev rebuffed a plea from Bush to respect Georgia's territorial integrity by declaring Tuesday that Moscow has recognized the independence of the Georgian provinces South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Moscow's recognition violated the August 11 ceasefire that called for respecting Georgian territory and sovereignty and was an example of " Russia committing to one thing and doing another," Fratto said.
" Russia is making a number of irrational decisions," he added.
Bush has said Russia will suffer consequences for the "disproportionate" use of force but his administration is still weighing steps to punish Russia and has been in discussions with allies.
Among the options is scrapping a civilian nuclear energy cooperation agreement.
The United States has delivered more than 20 million dollars of humanitarian aid to its ally since Russian troops stormed deep into Georgian territory.