Nice, France - French President Nicolas Sarkozy launched an impassioned defence Friday of his efforts to end August's Russian-Georgian war, accusing his critics of not having ideas and attacking the role of Georgia's allies, including the United States.

"If you consider the strategy of some of the 'friends of Georgia' (a group including the Baltic states, Poland, and Ukraine) and the strategy of the EU, the EU one is far the better," Sarkozy said after talks with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev.

"Agitation in the sea close to the conflict, with trouble threatened by certain military vessels, and an anti-missile shield won't be to the benefit of Europe, Russia or anyone else," he said in a swipe at the deployment of US ships to the Black Sea during the August war and US plans to deploy a missile shield in Central Europe.

While he criticized Russia's invasion of Georgia as "disproportionate," he also stressed that it was a reaction to Georgia's attack on its breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia - implying that the blame for the war lies in Tbilisi.

And he condemned those detractors who said that his diplomacy had sacrificed Georgia's territorial integrity by leaving the question of the rebel provinces' status open, saying that "those who criticize don't have any better ideas."

Medvedev also accused Georgia of "aggression" in the breakaway provinces and praised Sarkozy's diplomatic efforts to bring peace.

But the two presidents disagreed on the key question of whether Russia has lived up to a six-point peace deal it signed on August 12, and over Russia's controversial recognition of the breakaway zones' independence.

The plan "has been accomplished fully and appropriately," Medvedev said.

Russia has complied "very largely" with the peace plan, but "that means that some (conditions) have not been implemented," Sarkozy said. (dpa)