(MOSCOW) - Both sides got something they wanted in talks between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and a European Union delegation over the conflict in Georgia, Russian newspapers wrote Tuesday.

"Russia got what it wanted from Georgia -- Tbilisi is now to return its troops to their bases by October 1 -- and in its turn agreed to make steps Europe has long been demanding," the state Rossiyskaya Gazeta noted.

After Monday's talks President Dmitry Medvedev pledged to withdraw all Russian troops from Georgia apart from Abkhazia and South Ossetia, whose independence he maintained was "irrevocable".

"The Kremlin got guarantees and the Georgian leadership's written promises not to use force against South Ossetia and Abkhazia," it added, of the talks between Medvedev and the EU delegation led by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

"But Sarkozy did not leave without laurels of his own -- he left for Tbilisi with certain accords that will improve the Caucasus situation," the daily wrote.

The Kommersant daily took a more sarcastic line. "Nicolas Sarkozy simply shone," it wrote.

"He and his colleagues went to Moscow to get precisely what they got, and in half a minute it seemed all his personal and nearly historic achievement."

The daily detailed Sarkozy's upbeat announcement of Russia's imminent withdrawal from Georgian territory -- then quoted a unnamed senior official saying the Russians were never going to argue this point.

"Maybe they thought we did not want that," the source told the paper. "That we're crazy? But that is in our best interest -- to get our boys out of there and put European monitors there to keep us apart. Naturally we gladly agreed to that."

Other newspapers focussed on the main stumbling block in the otherwise good-willed talks: Medvedev's insistence on Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

"That Russia considers South Ossetia and Abkhazia independent is currently the heaviest stone between Moscow and Brussels, even if one were to sweep aside all hysterics on sanctions and breaking ties," the Izvestia daily warned.

"Medvedev repeated that Russia had no other way to save lives, Sarkozy, despite his light tone, would not back away either as such recognition goes against international law. How will Russia and the European Union build ties with such ideological differences?" the daily wondered.

"Resolution in the Caucasus after this meeting will not guarantee that there will be no points of dissent between Russia and Europe," the Gazeta daily wrote.

"However, it became clear that there are firm guarantees that an all-out military standoff in South Ossetia and Abkhazia will not be repeated," the newspaper added.

The Vremya Novostei daily noted that Medvedev had preferred to target Washington rather than press the European Union too hard.

"Medvedev openly accused Washington of organising the Georgian aggression. Apparently, the United States remain Russia's chief adversary in this," the daily wrote.

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