Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili appealed to the U.S. to help him acquire advanced weapons systems in an interview published on The Daily Telegraph's Web site Wednesday.
Saakashvili said new defensive armament systems could deter a second Russian invasion of his country. Almost a year after the two states went to war, speculation has been mounting that Kremlin hawks could create a pretext for a new conflict in order to force Saakashvili from office.
The Georgian president said he will stress the urgency of the situation in his discussions with U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden.
"For us right now, the main message is to move fast," Saakashvili said. "Pledges are nice, but we need things now. There is not much time to spare. Things can change rapidly in this part of the world." Biden arrived in Georgia Wednesday
The Georgian leader said he would also call on the U.S. to join a European Union team of civilian observers established to monitor a ceasefire brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to end last year's five-day conflict.