We expect Russia to meet its commitment to cease all military activities in Georgia and we expect all Russian forces that have entered Georgia in recent days to withdraw from that country," Bush said in a statement in the White House Rose Garden Wednesday. "As I have made clear, Russia's ongoing action raises serious questions about its intentions in Georgia and the region."
Reflecting the White House's concern, Bush will delay a planned two-week vacation at his ranch in Texas. He had been scheduled to leave the White House on Thursday, but spokeswoman Dana Perino said the trip will be pushed back "a day or two."
According to media reports, Russian troops and irregular Ossetian militias pushed deep into Georgia Wednesday, taking the city of Gori and deploying armored vehicles on the nation's main highway that leads to capital city of Tbilisi.
Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN that Russian troops haven't broken the cease-fire agreed to hours earlier. He said the column from Gori was deployed as part of an effort to "demilitarize the nearby zone to South Ossetia."
Bush said Russia must honor statements that it doesn't seek to topple Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, a democratically elected U.S. ally. And he called reports from Georgia "inconsistent" with the Kremlin's pledges to halt military activity. He cited reports that Russian units have taken up positions east of Gori and in the Black Sea port city of Poti.
Amid worries of ethnic cleansing, Bush said the U.S. also has concerns that Georgian civilians aren't being adequately protected from attack.
Perino said the news out of Georgia includes "credible reports that Russia is violating the cease-fire agreement."
To step up pressure on the Kremlin, Bush is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to France to meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy - the European Union's point man on the matter - and then to Tbilisi to meet with Saakashvili. Rice will depart Washington Wednesday evening.
Bush also said Defense Secretary Robert Gates will lead the U.S. effort to provide humanitarian assistance and medical supplies to Georgia. Perino said a U.S. C-17 aircraft has arrived with aid in Tbilisi and another will be there on Thursday. Naval vessels carrying aid will join the effort in the days ahead.
"We expect Russia to ensure that all lines of communication and transport, including seaports, airports, roads and airspace, remain open for the delivery of humanitarian assistance and for civilian transit," Bush said.
Perino, who called U.S.-Russia relations "complicated," said it was premature to discuss the possible role of U.S. military forces in Georgia.
Bush didn't discuss potential consequences if Russia fails to adhere to the peace accord, but suggested that the situation threatens the country's integration into "the diplomatic, political, economic, and security structures of the 21st century." That is likely a reference to Russia's membership in the Group of Eight and the World Trade Organization.
"To begin to repair the damage to its relations with the United States, Europe and other nations, and to begin restoring its place in the world, Russia must keep its word and act to end this crisis," Bush said