MS. PERINO: I think I'll just decline to say because I don't know what the final outcome will be. And so they'll have to take a look at the range of issues that could result.

I saw the other day that someone suggested -- maybe it was even President Medvedev himself who said that they don't fear a new Cold War. I don't think anyone should be looking for a new Cold War. What we would like to see is the return to the status quo before August 7th and the hostilities began; before Russia invaded Georgia; before the disproportional response to the regular flare-ups that happen in the summertime out in that area. And from there, what we would like to see is a return to a place where we can have integration of Russia into the international community.

Unfortunately, it's Russia that made the choice to take several steps backward in that regard, and I think that even if you look at the Russian economy and the questions that businesses have about whether or not to continue to do business there and what's happening in their stock market and what's happening across the board in their country, that this is very troubling for Russia and a time for the countries who believe in sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity to band together to fight against it.

seen at 09:00, 28 August in Whitehouse Press Briefings. Email this to a friend.
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