According to a statement issued by the office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Russia has promised to begin its withdrawal from Georgian territory on Monday.

Sarkozy's office said the French leader phoned Russian President Dimitry Medvedev to warn him there would be serious consequences with the European Union, which he represents, if Russia does not pull its troops out of Georgia, as agreed in a document signed by both Russia and Georgia.

Russia claimed to have begun to withdraw its troops in cooperation with the ceasefire agreement numerous times over the past week following the first agreement worked out between the two parties by Sarkozy. Each time the claim proved to be false.