Cheney calls Russia's Georgia invasion affront

(CNN) - Vice-president Dick Cheney on Saturday harshly criticized Russia's military incursion into Georgia, calling the action "an affront to civilized standards."

Speaking to a group of business and political leaders in Italy, Cheney faulted Russia for invading the former Soviet republic, killing civilians and displacing thousands of Georgians and failing to abide by a ceasefire agreement from the European Union.

"This chain of aggressive moves and diplomatic reversals has only intensified the concern that many have about Russias larger objectives," he said. "For brutality against a neighbor is simply the latest in a succession of troublesome and unhelpful actions by the Russian government."