(TALLINN) - Estonia said Tuesday it could provide troops for an international force in Georgia if peacekeepers take over from Russian troops, whose role in two breakaway regions is vehemently contested by Tbilisi.

"In the event such a decision were made made by the UN or another international organisation, Estonia could be ready to offer our input," said Mariann Sudakov, a spokeswoman for the Estonian foreign ministry.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is currently at the helm of the European Union, earlier Tuesday said the EU would consider sending peacekeepers to Georgia if all sides agreed.

Russian forces are stationed in South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- which broke with Tbilisi in bloody conflicts as Georgia won independence when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 -- ostensibly to keep rebel and Georgian government forces apart.

Tbilisi has long accused Russian peacekeepers of bias, much before the Russian military campaign against Georgia began last week. Earlier this year Moscow announced it was strengthening ties with the two regions.

Over the years Russia has also granted residents of South Ossetia and Abkhazia Russian citizenship -- and argued that its assault on Georgia was needed to protect its nationals.

"Estonia has said many times that the principles of the peacekeeping operation in South Ossetia and Abkhazia should be changed. Given that Russia has became one of sides in the conflict we can no longer talk of peacekeeping by Russian forces in ordinary terms," Sudakov said.

"One solution could be to form peacekeeping forces, in those Georgian regions where they are needed, from states that have not been involved in the conflict," Sudakov added.

Estonia, which like Georgia broke free from the crumbling Soviet bloc in 1991, is a staunch ally of the southern Caucasus nation and has testy ties with Russia.

Estonia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004, and has backed Georgia's pro-Western leadership's goal of membership of both bodies, sending dozens of economic and political reform advisers to Tbilisi.

Along with a handful of fellow ex-communist states, Estonia has been pressing other Western nations to get tough with Russia over Georgia.

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