White House may halt talks with Russia

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- The Bush administration says it may freeze talks with Russia on missile defense and nuclear-weapons disarmament.

A freeze would cloud the future of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, START, which expires at the end of 2009, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The treaty, a successor to Cold War era arms-reduction agreements, restricts the number of long-range nuclear weapons each side can have.

In addition, the White House indicated Thursday it has put on hold a nuclear-cooperation deal with Russia aimed at combating proliferation. The proposed deal would have allowed for greater cooperation in developing proliferation-resistant reactors, the Journal reported.

Tension between Russia and the United States has escalated since Russia's military incursion into Georgia and its decision to recognize two breakaway Georgian regions as independent.