Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Monday called on the United Nations Security Council to condemn Russia’s aggression against Georgia.

“We should move ahead with the resolution despite Russian veto threats, and submit Russia to the court of world public opinion,” McCain said in Erie, Pa.

The GOP presidential candidate has seized on the conflict between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway province of South Ossetia, hoping to highlight his foreign policy credentials and draw a contrast to Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).

McCain noted that he has met with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili “many times, including during several trips to Georgia.”

A frequent critic of Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin, the presumptive GOP nominee pulled no punches in his statement Monday on the conflict.

“Whatever tensions and hostilities might have existed between Georgians and Ossetians, they in no way justify Moscow’s path of violent aggression,” McCain said. “Russian actions, in clear violation of international law, have no place in 21st century Europe.”

Russia’s attacks are “a matter of urgent moral and strategic importance to the United States of America,” McCain argued. He described Georgia’s transformation into a democracy as “nothing short of remarkable,” adding that this makes Russia’s actions “all the more alarming.”

“Russia is using violence against Georgia, in part, to intimidate other neighbors such as Ukraine for choosing to associate with the West and adhering to Western political and economic values,” McCain said. “As such, the fate of Georgia should be of grave concern to Americans and all people who welcomed the end of a divided Europe and the independence of former Soviet republics. The international response to this crisis will determine how Russia manages its relationships with other neighbors.”

The Arizona senator said that Russia’s “pattern of attack appears aimed not at restoring any status quo ante in South Ossetia, but rather at toppling the democratically elected government of Georgia.”

“This should be unacceptable to all the democratic countries of the world, and should draw us together in universal condemnation of Russian aggression,” McCain added.

The conflict could have “severe, long-term negative consequences” for Russia’s relationships with the U.S. and Europe, he noted.

McCain also called on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to begin “high-level diplomacy” and urged the U.S. to begin sending humanitarian aid to the region.

“World history is often made in remote, obscure countries,” McCain said. “It is being made in Georgia today. It is the responsibility of the leading nations of the world to ensure that history continues to be a record of humanity's progress toward respecting the values and security of free people.”