Putin: 'US provoked Georgia war'

Vladimir Putin has said he suspects one of the US presidential candidates provoked the conflict in Georgia to help their election chances.

In a conspiracy theory described as "ludicrous" by the White House, he said US forces may have trained the Georgian army ahead of the conflict between the two countries earlier this month.

The Russian Prime Minister declined to say which of the candidates in the upcoming poll was supposed to be the beneficiary of a plot to destabilise the Caucasus.

Mr Putin said: "The suspicion arises that somebody in the United States has intentionally created this conflict with the aim of making the situation more tense and creating a competitive advantage for one of the candidates fighting for the post of US president."

He added: "The recent events could have a American domestic political dimension,"

Mr Putin spoke as the Russian military said US nationals were in the war zone in Georgia, producing an American passport supposedly found after a bloody clash between Russian troops and Georgian special forces.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Mr Putin's allegations were "patently false" and the US State Department said it was "ludicrous" for the Russians to say they were not responsible for what happened in Georgia.

The crisis in Georgia flared early this month when Georgian government forces tried to retake the separatist province of South Ossetia and Russia launched an overwhelming counter-attack.

Moscow has since recognised the independence of the pro-Russian provinces South Ossetia and Abkhazia, provoking condemnation from the West.

Moscow is facing increased diplomatic isolation, with its Asian allies, including China, failing to offer support and France saying EU leaders were considering sanctions.

The Kremlin accused the West of heightening tension by a naval build-up in the Black Sea, and said talk of punishing Russia was the product of a "sick" and "confused" imagination.

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