Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said the Government was in "full support of the territorial integrity" of Georgia.

Speaking after talks with Georgian Prime Minister Vladimir Gurgenidze, the Premier pledged financial support to the country and said he would be urging other European allies to do so.

His meeting followed comments by Nato Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who reaffirmed his support for Georgia to become a full member, despite Russian opposition.

Standing alongside Mr Gurgenidze in Downing Street, Mr Brown said: "We are in full support of the territorial integrity of his country and we will be giving financial and economic support to Georgia and urging other countries to do so."

Mr Brown said Mr Gurgenidze would have meetings later with Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Chancellor Alistair Darling.

He added: "We will be working with our European partners to ensure that there is sufficient support for the reconstruction of Georgia."

The Georgian Prime Minister praised the leadership of Mr Brown, adding: "We deeply appreciate the efforts of the British Government."

Defence ministers from all 26 Nato states are meeting later at the request of Defence Secretary Des Browne for informal discussions on possible reforms.

Nato leaders will formally discuss the request of Kiev and Tbilisi for "membership action plans" in December. If approved, they could take ten years to complete.

And in a speech highly critical of Russia, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the West had to stand up to "bullying" by Moscow.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates also urged Nato to avoid provocation in response to Russia's invasion of Georgia.

He said: "It's hard for me to imagine that those who are currently in Nato feel a real military threat coming from Russia.

"To a degree there is a concern, my guess is it has more to do with pressure and intimidation than it does any prospect of real military action."

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