11:56pm UK, Thursday September 18, 2008

The US Defence Secretary has told Sky News that another Russian attack on Georgia once it has joined Nato would result in an American armed response.

‘We would stand by our commitments’ says Robert Gates

Robert Gates told Sky’s foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall that Nato’s charter would require it.

“I have been a very strong proponent of the view that Nato is a military alliance not a talk shop,” he said.

“Article five means what it says – so there is a commitment to go to the assistance of our allies if they are challenged.”

Meanwhile the Russian Navy says the war in Georgia has shown the world that Moscow is once again a force to be reckoned with.

Its Black Sea Fleet has now returned to its base in Crimea in Ukraine, but the region is becoming a new frontline in the stand-off between Russia and the West.

But Mr Gates told Marshall: “I don’t think there is a new Cold War. This Russia is not the Soviet Union.”

He added: “If anything, it’s trying to recapture perhaps some of the past glory of the Russian Empire.

“I think Georgia is going to prove to be a pyrrhic victory for Russia over the long term.”

His comments came as defence ministers from all 26 Nato states gathered in London to discuss possible Nato reforms.

Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer reaffirmed his support for Georgia to become a full member of the alliance despite Russian opposition.

In a speech to the Royal United Service Institute, Mr Scheffer said: “Why is it that we should be the ones who deny a nation who has these aspirations to help them come true?”

Gordon Brown is set to meet Georgian prime minister Vladimir Gurgenidze on Friday for talks at Downing Street.

:: Click here to watch Robert Gates full interview with Sky’s Tim Marshall.