US Vice President Dick Cheney has arrived in Georgia in a show of support for the South Caucasus nation and its pro-Western president.

The visit occurs one day after the White House announced a $1 billion economic aid package for Georgia after Russian troops attacked the country last month.

During his stay in Georgia, Cheney is to confer with President Mikhail Saakashvili on regional developments.

The Kremlin is not satisfied with the visit as rhetoric between US and Russia is on rise, however.

Cheney first visited neighboring Azerbaijan as the starting point for a major oil pipeline that crosses Georgia and ends in Turkey.

He condemned Russia on Thursday for what he called an "illegitimate, unilateral attempt" to change Georgia's borders by force.

Speaking during a closely watched trip to this South Caucasus nation, Cheney also assured Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili that the United States was "fully committed" to his country's efforts to join NATO. "Georgia will be in our alliance," Cheney said.

Early in August, Russian tanks and combat aircraft entered South Ossetia following a Georgian offensive against the province which has been at odds with Tbilisi since its declaration of independence in the early 1990s.