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Earlier today, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy met in Moscow. They reaffirmed the terms of the Sarkozy ceasefire agreement and agreed to additional specific implementation measures that would see Russian troops withdraw completely from Georgia (excluding South Ossetia and Abkhazia) within 10 days following the deployment of "international mechanisms" that include "at least 200 observers from the European Union" in the buffer zones by no later than October 1. Following Russia's complete withdrawal from the buffer zones, President Sarkozy indicated that the temporarily suspended EU-Russia partnership talks could resume perhaps "as early as October."

Key developments included:

• President Sarkozy provided President Medvedev with a letter from Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili that renounces the use of force by Georgia in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. As a result, Georgia's only option of regaining jurisdiction over the two breakaway provinces is to obtain an agreement toward that end at the negotiating table. Prospects for such an outcome are low.

• The European Union has agreed to act as "guarantor of the principle of non-aggression" in monitoring the situation in Georgia, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia.

• International discussions concerning "the modalities of lasting security in Abkhazia and South Ossetia" as stipulated in point #6 of the Sarkozy ceasefire plan will commence on October 15, 2008 in Geneva.

• Russian troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia are not impacted by the agreement.

• President Medvedev reaffirmed Russia's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign states. He also indicated that in future dialogue, the leadership of Abkhazia and South Ossetia will have standing "as separate entities under international law." In other words, their position at the negotiating table will not be subordinate to Georgia's or Russia's. Today's agreement does not establish such an outcome, but it does not preclude it either.

• President Medvedev reiterated Russia's desire for a partnership with the European Union. "In the European Union we see our natural partners, our key partners, and this is why we have agreed additional meausres today for implementing the plan of August 12, 2008 [the ceasefire agreement]," President Medvedev explained.

• President Sarkozy highlighted the EU's desire for partnership with Russia. "What do these countries [EU member states] want from Russia? They want peace, trust and good relations," he stated.