Lavrov acknowledged, in a press conference today, he had told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Saakashvili must stand down. He said that Moscow was not actively seeking to overthrow him, but that the situation would improve greatly if Saakashvili left.

At a joint press conference with Finnish counterpart, Lavrov said: “Saakashvili cannot be a partner and must stand down.” “Saakashvili’s brutal actions undermined Georgia’s confidence. We do not feel any confidence to Saakashvili,” Lavrov said.

We are seeing a Russia frustrated over the fact that the West did not allow it to overthrow Saakashvili. What may happen is that Russia will try to negotiate a deal with the West that include a regime change. Will the West sacrifice Georgia?