“The United States views the visit of President Putin to the Russian occupied Georgian territory of Abkhazia as inappropriate and inconsistent with the principles underlying the Geneva International Discussions, to which Russia is a party,” State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a press statement on August 9.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Moscow-backed Abkhaz leader Raul Khajimba in Bichvinta (Pitsunda), a town in the occupied region, on August 8 and discussed Moscow’s ties with Sokhumi in the fields of defense, police, economy and healthcare.

“The United States fully supports Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and rejects Russia’s recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” the statement reads. 

It also said that the United States “urges Russia to withdraw its forces to pre-war positions per the 2008 ceasefire agreement and reverse its recognition of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.”