US President George W Bush spoke with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Monday about Moscow's role in the tension over Georgia's separatist regions, the White House said.
"President Bush raised his concerns about the situation in Georgia and hoped that all sides were working to reduce tensions," spokeswoman Dana Perino said, without providing details of the telephone conversation.
Tensions between Moscow and Tbilisi have been high in recent weeks over the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two breakaway regions of Georgia occupied by Russian peacekeeping troops.
The Kremlin has stepped up relations with the two regions, a move Georgia views as an attempt to annex the Russian populated areas. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has warned that the increased Russian role in the disputes could lead to war, the dpa reported.
Washington has urged Moscow to reverse the decisions by former Russian president Vladimir Putin, who sought stepped up ties with the regions before leaving office last week and becoming prime minister.
Bush congratulated Medvedev on taking over for Putin and also spoke with the current prime minister on Monday to congratulate him on his new post, Perino said.
Bush and Putin enjoyed good personal relations even though ties between the United States and Russia were strained in recent years.