Ship skips Russian-controlled port

(CNN) - A U.S. Coast Guard ship carrying relief supplies is scheduled to dock Wednesday in Batumi, Georgia, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Georgia said.

The cutter Dallas will bypass the Georgian port of Poti, where Russian troops set up checkpoints after invading Georgia this month.

News reports said the Dallas planned to dock in Poti, but officials decided Wednesday to send it to Batumi after considering various ports, the spokesman said.

The cutter is to deliver aid as part of a larger U.S. program that has delivered supplies worth at least $20 million to Georgia since Russian troops invaded.