Georgia accused Russia this evening of violating a ceasefire in their six-day conflict by sending troops beyond the area of fighting in South Ossetia.
Russia denied the claim, saying its soldiers are disabling Georgian military targets as part of a peacekeeping mission.
Earlier, Russian tanks were seen leaving the Georgian town of Gori today on the road to the capital Tbilisi but they later halted their journey.
The news comes despite a Russian denial that it had troops on the ground in Gori and Georgian and Russian agreement in principle to an EU-brokered peace plan.
Georgia's deputy interior minister confirmed the Russian troops had left Gori, which is near the breakaway South Ossetia, but said they were not advancing towards Tbilisi.
"I'd like to calm everybody down. The Russian military is not advancing towards the capital," Ekaterine Zguladze told a news conference. Mr Zguladze did not specify what the Russian troops were doing.
South Ossetian troops, loyal to Moscow, have been looting in areas around Gori. Many buildings in the town have been totally destroyed. Locals reported bands of Cossack and Chechen mercenaries joining Russian troops.
A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said this morning "no Russian peacekeepers or any troops have been sent to Gori."
Witnesses said Russian troops had set up at least two checkpoints several kilometres from Gori and the Russian side later said it had secured an abandoned Georgian ammunition depot outside the town
Georgia has previously accused Russia of occupying Gori but witnesses in the town on Monday said there had been no Russian incursion. Georgian forces pulled back from the town on Monday towards Tbilisi after being forced from the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali by Russian troops following days of heavy fighting.
Gori was the focus of Georgia's military buildup once fighting broke out last week. It is now practically deserted having been heavily bombed.
In Brussels, European Union foreign ministers agreed in principle to send monitors to supervise a French-brokered ceasefire in region.
"The EU must be ready to engage, including on the ground, to support all efforts, including those of the United Nations and the OSCE for a lasting and peaceful settlement of the conflicts in Georgia," a joint statement said.
The United States has requested a meeting of Nato foreign ministers over the situation, which could take place possibly early next week, a Nato spokeswoman said. Russia would not take part in the meeting, she said.
The United States and Britain have supported Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili and criticised Moscow heavily for a disproportionate response. France, Germany and Italy, which all enjoy closer political ties and strong business links with Russia, have been careful not to take sides, pressing instead for the violence to stop.
French president Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country hold the EU presidency, and Mr Saakashvili agreed late last night to a modified version of a six-point peace plan endorsed by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
"It is a political document. It 'is an agreement of principles...and I think we have full coincidence of principles," Mr Saakashvili told a joint news conference with Mr Sarkozy.
US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice said Moscow's military operations in Georgia had jeopardised Russia's integration into international institutions. "There are any number of opportunities for Russia to reverse course and to demonstrate that it is trying to behave according to 21st century principles," she said. "But I can assure you that Russia's international reputation and what role Russia can play in the international community is very much at stake here.
In its first concrete action of protest, the US yesterday cancelled a Pacific Ocean naval exercise set for next week involving Russia, Britain and France. Yesterday morning Mr Medvedev ordered a halt to military operations in Georgia ahead of Mr Sarkozy's arrival in support of the international peace plan. But Georgia cast doubt on Moscow's announcement and US officials could not confirm the Russian attacks had stopped.
Russia claims 1,600 civilians died when Georgia attacked South Ossetia, though the figure has not been independently verified. Moscow's General Staff says it lost 74 soldiers in the fighting, with 171 wounded and 19 missing. Tbilisi puts deaths on its side at over 175, with hundreds injured. That figure does not include South Ossetia.