Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday that a strong statement by the Group of Eight nations on Zimbabwe will not necessarily lead to sanctions over Robert Mugabe's widely criticized re-election.

Medvedev's statement indicated Russia could veto or abstain in a U.N. Security Council vote expected this week on a U.S. draft resolution calling for sanctions over state-supported election violence in Zimbabwe. Violence and intimidation there prompted the opposition candidate to pull out of the race with Mugabe.

At a summit in Japan, the G-8 released a statement Tuesday promising further steps including "introducing financial and other measures against those individuals responsible for violence" in the African nation.

Medvedev told a news conference after the summit that the statement "reflects our concerns" about the situation and "gives the world community recommendations on how to react."

"But there are as yet no concrete decisions on how the United Nations should act in this situation (and) whether it's necessary to make any special additional decisions," he said.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaking about an hour before Medvedev, said the G-8 statement "made it clear that we would appoint a U.N. envoy and would impose new sanctions against an illegitimate regime which has blood on its hands."

French and U.S. officials said Tuesday that a majority of U.N. Security Council member countries support the proposal, but Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin warned that his nation could veto it.

Churkin said the Security Council, where Russia is one of five permanent veto-wielding members, "should be very careful about setting precedents" and should not mediate or pass judgment on elections.

A Security Council vote would be a test for Medvedev. Continued...