U.S. officials are continuing to criticize Russia's actions in Georgia, with Defense Secretary Robert Gates warning that Moscow's behavior in the coming days could shape its future relations with Washington.

Speaking at the Pentagon, Gates said all military-to-military activities with Moscow will be examined, and changes made, depending on Russian actions in the days ahead.

"Russia's behavior over the past week has called into question the entire premise of that dialogue and has profound implications for our security relationship going forward, both bilaterally and with NATO," he said. "If Russia does not step back from its aggressive posture and actions in Georgia, the U.S.-Russian relationship could be adversely affected for years to come."

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has held talks in France to discuss the uneasy cease-fire that halted fighting between Russia and Georgia, where she will travel next for talks with the Georgian president.

The French-brokered cease-fire calls for Georgian and Russian forces to withdraw to the positions they held before fighting broke out a little over a week ago.

Rice's arrival in France was accompanied by reports that Russian troops remained active within Georgia in what Moscow said was part of a peacekeeping operation.

Russian troop numbers in central Georgian city of Gori had increased, according to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, and an RFE/RL correspondent reported hearing an explosion on a mountain near Gori.

Standing beside French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Rice said there must be no question about the territorial integrity of Georgia.

"The Russian president has said that their military operations have halted. We would hope that he will be true to his word and that those operations will halt," Rice said. "And we will work very hard to see if we can bring an end to this crisis. It is long overdue, too many innocent people have died."

Intelligence Operations

In western Georgia, there were reports that Russian forces had entered the Black Sea port town of Poti, a key oil terminal.

The deputy head of the Russian armed forces' General Staff, Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn, said at a Moscow press conference that Russian peacekeepers were carrying out intelligence operations in Poti.

Russian commanders have said their purpose now is to demilitarize conflict areas and assure security for residents following looting.

But late Thursday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili told foreign reporters that a column of more than 100 Russian tanks and other vehicles was moving from western Georgia toward the country's second-largest city, Kutaisi, nearer the center of the country.

"I appeal for help -- for many people it's too late -- but I appeal [for] the help of every civilized person in the world to stop this uncivilized, barbarian, inhuman, treacherous, absolutely outrageous behavior, and to save innocent lives," he said.

RFE/RL Georgian Service correspondent Koba Liklikadze, reporting from Gori, says he witnessed heavily armed gunmen in a car with North Ossetian number plates stealing two cars belonging to Georgia's independent Imedi television and an unidentified U.S. organization. The incident took place, Liklikadze reports, directly in front of Russian soldiers in armored vehicles and tanks.

Earlier today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier today dismissed reports that Russian forces had entered Gori and Senaki, a strategically important city on the direct rail link from Tbilisi to Poti.

"Our troops are outside the towns of Gori and Senaki. They did not enter those towns," Lavrov said. "They moved to those areas only because Georgians troops took positions there to fire on South Ossetia."

Steady Stream

The developments unfolded as the first planeload of U.S. aid arrived in Tbilisi, signaling the start of what Washington says will be a steady stream of humanitarian aid into the country following days of intense fighting.

A U.S. Air Force transport plane full of humanitarian supplies is unloaded at Tbilisi's airport.