LVIV, Oct. 1 ??“ Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania on Saturday urged Russia and Georgia to quickly find a peaceful solution to an escalating spy scandal that had aggravated tensions between the two and could trigger a crisis.

Moscow recalled its ambassador from Tbilisi, accused Georgia of promoting ???state terrorism??? and warned that its forces could use weapons for self-defense after Georgia had arrested four alleged Russian spies.

???We call on both sides not to form mutual relations through pressure and confrontation,??? President Viktor Yushchenko said Saturday in Lviv. ???We call on both sides to resort to wisdom, show mutual understanding, respect and patience and to find a diplomatic way to settle this conflict.???

The comments underscore growing concerns in the region that the tensions may lead to a military clash between Russia and Georgia, Ukraine??™s closest ally in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Georgia and Ukraine are founding members of GUAM, a regional bloc that has been seeking to reduce Russia??™s domination in the former Soviet Union. Last year, Georgia and Ukraine initiated creation of a bigger bloc, including countries like Poland and Lithuania, as a tool of promoting Western-style democracy in the former Soviet Union.

Yushchenko has been meeting President Lech Kaczynski of Poland and President Valdus Adamkus of Lithuania in Lviv on Saturday during celebrations of the city??™s 750-year anniversary.

The sharp worsening of relations between Russia and Georgia come amid Tbilisi??™s plans to quickly join NATO, a bloc that Moscow views as a military threat.

Georgia arrested four Russian soldiers last week alleging they had been involved in spying and have been apparently preparing a coup to overthrow the pro-Western regime in Tbilisi.

Moscow responded by recalling its ambassador from Tbilisi and ordering evacuation of families of Russian diplomats. On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin likened actions to those of Lavrentiy Beria, the Georgian who headed the Soviet secret police under Joseph Stalin, and calling them "state terrorism."

But also Sunday, Putin took a step that could keep the tensions from spiraling further by ordering the defense ministry to continue its plans for withdrawing troops from Georgia. A Russian general a day earlier had announced that the plans were suspended.

Russia on Saturday sent warships to those parts of the Black Sea that border Georgia with ships ???to patrol the region for preventing threat of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.???

Russia said the warships were assigned a mission within the Black Sea Harmony, an international naval operation, which had been jointly operated with Turkey. Tbilisi said sending the ships shows that Russia has been putting pressure on Georgia.

Yushchenko said Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania were prepared to get involved as mediators to help ease down the growing standoff between Russia and Georgia.

???We are confident that should goodwill be shown??¦ we are ready to promote realization of such scenario,??? Yushchenko said. ???Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine are ready to be constructive in settling this conflict.??? (tl/ez)