Robert Amsterdam

It was their first face-to-face meeting in more than six months, following several extremely bitter exchanges over spies, deportations, energy prices, and even wine. Initial press reports following the Nov. 28 meeting of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and Russian President Vladimir Putin have described the talks as "useful" and "productive," but so far there no details on progress regarding the critical issues.

As Eurasianet reports, Georgia is determined to maintain independence and sovereignty:

The Georgian president, however, was quick to dispel any notions of Georgia as a Soviet-era petitioner for good will from the Kremlin. While a dialogue with Russia is "important" for Georgia, the country’s future welfare depends on Georgia’s own "script for the future," Saakashvili stressed. "[I]t is time for us Georgians to realize that we should not think day and night about what Russia thinks about us, what Russia says about us, even what actions Russia takes or what plans it has in relation to us, and that that is not of decisive importance."

It remains to be seen how this posturing will play out as Georgia is one of the few countries left to approve Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).