Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday he saw no legal or factual basis for the former Georgian republic of South Ossetia to become a part of Russia.
"There is no legal or factual basis at the moment. That's why I signed decrees to recognize [its] independence," Medvedev said in an interview with Russian and Georgian media.
Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that it was up to the Ossetian people to decide whether South Ossetia should become part of Russia.
