Russia and the United States headed for confrontation on two fronts yesterday as the Kremlin threatened to retaliate over a planned missile shield in Europe and edged closer to open conflict with neighbouring Georgia.

Georgia claimed that Russian fighter jets had invaded its airspace ahead of a visit to Tbilisi by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to offer support in its spiralling crisis with Moscow over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Russia made no immediate response but accused Tbilisi’s pro-American government of involvement in a series of mysterious bomb attacks in the two regions in an attempt to provoke a new war.

“The actions of Tbilisi present a real threat to peace and security in the South Caucasus and put the region on the edge of a new armed conflict with unpredictable consequences,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.

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The Kremlin has long hoped that the next president in Washington will kill off the missile defence shield plan

Tony Halpin

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President Dmitri Medvedev warned of “retaliatory steps” after Dr Rice sealed a deal to locate a radar station in the Czech Republic as part of the missile defence shield. He said that Russia was “extremely upset” by the move.

But his tone was markedly more moderate than that of his predecessor Vladimir Putin, who threatened to aim nuclear missiles at European states that took part in the project. Mr Medvedev said at the G8 summit in Japan: “We will not be hysterical about this but we will think of retaliatory steps.”

The US insists that the shield, which includes plans to base 10 interceptor missiles in Poland, is aimed at rogue states such as Iran and does not threaten Russia. Moscow is adamant, however, that the project undermines its security.

Dr Rice, on a stop in Bulgaria en route to Georgia, called Mr Medvedev’s response “predictable, if disappointing”. She said: “I still hope that Russia will look at the actual threat environment, look at the fact that the Iranians are developing ever-longer ranges of missiles and the Russians will see that this is not aimed at them.”

As she arrived in Tbilisi, a senior State Department official travelling with her warned of “catastrophe” if Russia did not pull back from a campaign of military and political pressure on Georgia.

Speaking in unusually blunt tones, the diplomat said: “Russia needs to realise the empire is gone. Russia needs to respect the territorial integrity of its neighbour.”

Asked what he meant by a catastrophe, he said: “I mean a renewed cycle of fighting that would be horrific in human terms. In strategic terms, it would do no-one good.”

Dr Rice’s visit was intended “to express support for Georgia’s territorial integrity in the face of pressure from Russia” as well as back its bid for membership of Nato. Russia strongly opposes Nato membership for Georgia.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Georgia in the early 1990s in wars following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Tensions have soared in recent weeks between separatist forces and Georgia, which accuses Moscow of plotting to annexe the territories by backing the rebels.

Georgia is seen as critical to western hopes of creating a stable supply routes for energy from Central Asia to Europe that bypass Russia. Moscow regards the Caucasus as within its sphere of influence and resents US intrusion.

The deputy commander of Georgia’s military, Zurab Pochkua, said that four Russian jets had circled over South Ossetia for 40 minutes on Tuesday night. Georgia’s Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili said that Moscow was attempting to sabotage Dr Rice’s visit to discuss the crisis.

“It’s a well-known policy of the Russian Federation to arrange provocations to coincide with high-level diplomatic activities. It’s not only this visit of Miss Rice,” she said.

Several G8 leaders, including President Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, raised concerns about Georgia at the summit.

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