"All the actions we have taken so far in relation to Georgia do not have anything to do with [Georgia's] plans to join NATO or anything else," he said.
"We do not long to expand [our] territory," Putin said. "After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia remains the biggest [country], we have enough of our own territory, but we cannot allow bloodshed in this region."
Putin blamed the deterioration of relations with Tbilisi on Georgia's militarization.
"Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Russia are concerned over Georgia's militarization," Putin said. "And the deterioration in Russian-Georgian relations is connected with that, with the preparation for the resolution of the South Ossetian and Abkhazian problems through military means."
Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which broke away from Georgia following armed conflicts in the early 1990s, have been at the center of the South Caucasus state's confrontation with Russia.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who swept into power on the back of a "color" revolution in 2003, pledged to bring the self-proclaimed republics back into the fold. He has repeatedly accused Russia, whose peacekeeping units in Abkhazia and South Ossetia help monitor ceasefire agreements with Tbilisi, of siding with the separatists, and called for their withdrawal.
The already strained relations between the two post-Soviet neighbors reached boiling point in September when Georgia briefly arrested four Russian army officers on suspicion of espionage. Russia responded by cutting transportation and postal links with the nation of 4.5 million and expelling hundreds of Georgian migrants.
Putin said Russia is concerned by Georgia's apparent drive to resolve territorial disputes by force.
"That is what worries us, and that is what we must prevent," he said, expressing the hope that Tbilisi will not follow the example of some countries that ignore the world community, but will attempt to find a diplomatic solution to the issue.
On October 13, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Abkhazia calling on Georgia to refrain from "provocative actions" in the region, and prolonging the mandate of Russian peacekeepers there.
The parliament of Abkhazia issued a resolution October 18 asking for Russia's recognition of its independence and associated membership.
Russia has not officially expressed a desire to admit Abkhazia or other breakaway territories, but has drawn a parallel with Kosovo. The country said recognizing the sovereignty of the Serbian province, sought by the Albanian majority, will set a precedent for other separatist regions in former Soviet republics.
Putin reiterated Wednesday that Russia will consider international precedents, including that of Kosovo, in the resolution of conflicts around unrecognized republics.
"There are certain contradictions: on the one hand, Russia supports the territorial integrity of Georgia and other countries. However, a nation has a right to self-determination. Therefore, we should take into account these contradictions and, of course, we will thoroughly consider international precedents, including that of Kosovo," he said.
