Russia says US ships arms to Georgia, US denies

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev yesterday accused the US of shipping arms to Georgia on US naval vessels, but Washington denied the charge.

Mr Medvedev made the charge in an interview on the BBC when he was asked if Russia was mounting a blockade of ships off Georgia's Black Sea port of Poti where the American warship USS McFaul is due to deliver humanitarian aid.

He replied: "There is no blockade. Any ship can get in, American and others are bringing in humanitarian cargoes.

"And what the Americans call humanitarian cargoes - of course, they are bringing in weapons."

White House spokesman Tony Fratto, speaking in Texas, said the accusation was ridiculous.

"I can assure you that these are purely humanitarian aid shipments that are going into Georgia and nothing else," Fratto said.

The US Embassy in Tbilisi told Reuters that the USS McFaul was due to dock in Poti today. Other US naval vessels are due in the same area in the next few days.