WASHINGTON: The United States has indefinitely postponed largescale military exercises with Georgia amid strained relations with Tbilisi, the Pentagon announced on Friday.

The United States `will indefinitely postpone this iteration of exercise Noble Partner in Georgia` scheduled for July 25-Aug 6, the Pentagon said in a statement.

The decision was made due to `the Georgian government`s false accusations` that the United States was pressuring Tbilisi `to open a second front against Russia to alleviate pressure on Ukraine, and of participating in twocoup attempts against the ruling party`.

`As such, the United States government has determined that this is an inappropriate time to hold a large-scale military exercise in Georgia,` the statement said.

It comes amid a cooling of relations with Tbilisi after it pushed forward a Russian-style `foreign influence` law that critics said is meant to stifle opposition groups and which triggered mass protests.

The United States imposed visa restrictions in May on `individuals who are responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia.

-AFP