The Press Association reports US plans to send troops to Georgia.
The US is to send troops to embattled Georgia in the form of a humanitarian aid exercise, President George Bush said.
Mr Bush said military planes would deliver supplies in a move which would put American forces in the heart of the region.
Bush, in a prepared statement, said:
I've also directed Secretary of Defense Bob Gates to begin a humanitarian mission to the people of Georgia, headed by the United States military. This mission will be vigorous and ongoing. A U.S. C-17 aircraft with humanitarian supplies is on its way. And in the days ahead we will use U.S. aircraft, as well as naval forces, to deliver humanitarian and medical supplies.