Russia's ambassador to NATO said Saturday that his country is not at war with Georgia but there would be no cease-fire until Georgian troops returned to positions they held before their South Ossetian offensive.

Dmitry Rogozin urged the western alliance to stay out of the "limited" South Ossetia conflict and said Russia was there to protect its nationals.

"We do not consider ourselves in a state of war. We are just (keeping) the peace and helping our peacekeepers and the civilian population," he said.