Russia to keep 8,000 troops in Georgia regions

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Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman told lawmakers at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that the Department of Defense is sending an evaluation team to Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, this week.

"We will review how the United States will be able to support the reconstruction of Georgia's economy, infrastructure and armed forces," he said.

Lawmakers at the hearing pressed Edelman and Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried to outline how the United States will respond to Russia's new assertiveness.

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In a symbolic move Monday, President Bush canceled a civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Russia that was until recently viewed as an opening to ameliorate rising tensions.

Bush had sent the agreement to Congress for approval in May, after a much-heralded signing by the two nations that capped two years of tough negotiations. On Monday, Bush officially pulled it back.

"We make this decision with regret," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement read by spokesman Sean McCormack. "Unfortunately, given the current environment, the time is not right for this agreement."

Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the decision was "erroneous and politicized" and would deal a blow to the U.S.-Russian cooperation and damage U.S. interests.

"The agreement on peaceful use of nuclear energy was equally beneficial to Russia and the United States, so the decision to opt out of it will hurt the U.S. nuclear industries no less than Russia's," the statement said.