Cheney Vows Support for Georgia, Condemns Russian Military Moves

"We have weathered a terrible storm," he said in remarks preceding Cheney's. Citing the "great community of nations" that has supported Georgia in the past month, he said, "We feel that we are not alone."

Cheney's praise of Saakashvili seemed designed to counter Russian calls for his ouster, Rondeli said. "He stressed it. It was really very symbolic, and I think it was a response to Russian propaganda blaming Saakashvili for everything," Rondeli said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has called Saakashvili a "political corpse."

Speaking in Moscow, Konstantin Kosachyov, head of the foreign affairs committee in the Kremlin-controlled lower house of Parliament, accused Cheney of trying to forge an "anti-Russian axis."

"It's Cheney who was behind all recent events on the former Soviet turf," Kosachyov said in televised remarks.

Russia has angered the West by maintaining control of what it calls a security zone in undisputed Georgian territory and by recognizing the separatist regions' claims of statehood. The only other country that has offered recognition is Nicaragua.

Cheney, who during his visit here also witnessed humanitarian aid being unloaded at an airfield, is among a stream of foreign leaders flowing through Georgia since the crisis began, including Rice, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Next week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana are planning visits.

Correspondent Philip P. Pan in Moscow contributed to this report.