Britain is pushing to suspend security co-operation with Russia as its aggressive actions in Georgia expose deep divisions within Nato as to how Moscow should be punished.

Nato foreign ministers are meeting for a special session on Georgia in Brussels tomorrow. Already there is disagreement between the United States and Britain on one side, which want to take a tough approach, and Germany and France, which are urging a more cautious stance. They are likely to block attempts to send Nato military monitors into Georgia.

“We don’t want to leave the Russians out in the cold but we want to make it clear to Moscow that it’s no longer going to be business as usual,” one British diplomatic source said.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed last night that David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, will visit Georgia after the Nato meeting.

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Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, said that Russia’s action had been adversarial and that Moscow appeared to be “heading back to its past”. He described its actions in Georgia as aggressive.

Moscow was criticised by other Western leaders yesterday as it delayed implementing the terms of the EU-brokered ceasefire it signed on Saturday. It promised to begin the withdrawal of troops today.

The Nato members that want to send the strongest-worded condemnation of Russian military action in Georgia are expected to underline the serious repercussions for the future if the alliance is seen to be ambivalent in confronting Moscow.

With both Georgia and Ukraine seeking full Nato membership, President Medvedev of Russia has already given warning that Russia reserved the right to protect its citizens wherever they were living.

The promised pull-out of Russian troops from Georgia was announced by Mr Medvedev in a telephone conversation with President Sarkozy of France. He said that they would move towards South Ossetia, the breakaway region of the country where the conflict began after Georgian troops tried to gain control of the territory with a military offensive. Such a promise, however, has been made before; the Russian leader also indicated that a large force might remain in South Ossetia. Russia had only about 1,000 peacekeepers in the region before the fighting flared up.

Mr Sarkozy said that there would be “serious consequences” if the withdrawal of Russian troops did not begin; and Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, who has been in Georgia, said: “I hope this time he will keep his word.”

One American/British proposal for the Brussels meeting will be to suspend the security co-operation between the West and Moscow, enshrined in the Nato/Russia Council which consults regularly over issues of mutual interest, such as counterterrorism and regional stability, and which was set up in 2002 specifically to draw the West and Russia closer together. There will also be moves to approve a request from President Saakashvili, the Georgian leader, for Nato to send military monitors to the former Soviet republic to monitor any Russian activities that might breach the ceasefire and withdrawal promises made by Moscow.

However, diplomatic sources for the alliance said that there appeared to be no hope of reaching consensus among the Nato foreign ministers over either of these issues. Offers of help from Nato are expected to be restricted to humanitarian assistance.

Germany made its position clear yesterday when Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the Foreign Minister, urged the alliance not to opt for a “knee-jerk reaction” to the conflict by suspending either the Nato/Russian Council or the current talks on a partnership and co-operation agreement between Moscow and the European Union, or even preventing Russia from joining the World Trade Organisation.

The one area where Nato foreign ministers are likely to achieve consensus is over Georgia’s right to become a member of the alliance. This was agreed at the Nato summit in Bucharest in April but it will be reaffirmed by the foreign ministers in Brussels. The final decision, however, on whether to invite Georgia and Ukraine to join Nato’s membership action plan, the first step towards becoming a member, will not be made until December.

Germany and France both voted against allowing Georgia and Ukraine to start the membership action plan but agreed with all the other alliance members that both countries would one day join Nato. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, confirmed yesterday that Germany supported Georgia’s aspirations. Alliance sources said that, even if Nato foreign ministers approved the action plan in December, it could take up to ten years before membership was finally approved.

Despite the divisions in the alliance, American and British diplomats are hopeful that the meeting in Brussels tomorrow will send a strong signal to Moscow that Nato supports Georgia and condemns the breach by Russian troops of the former Soviet republic’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The permanent representatives of Nato’s decision-making North Atlantic Council are due to visit Georgia next month. The trip was planned before the present crisis.

Timeline of the conflict

August 1 Fighting breaks out between Georgian forces and separatists in South Ossetia

August 7 Georgian forces shell Tskhinvali. Russia moves troops into South Ossetia

August 8 Georgian troops driven back by Russian counter-offensive

August 10 Russia bombs areas near Tbilisi. Georgia admits losing control of Tskhinvali

August 11 Georgia says Russian planes bombed civilian targets. South Ossetia's rebel government says Georgia shelled residential areas. Georgian President signs EU proposal. Russia accuses US of flying in Georgian troops from Iraq

August 13 President Bush warns Russia “must act to end this crisis”

August 14 First shipments of aid to Georgia. A Russian commander says troops starting to withdraw.

August 15 Mr Bush accuses Russia of “bullying”. US-Polish missile deal angers Russia, which says it will redirect missiles at Poland

August 17 Russia promises troop pullout will start today

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