GENEVA, Switzerland -- The Soviet Union broke off strategic arms talks today two weeks after walking out of parallel negotiations on limiting medium-range nu:lear missiles in Europe. The United States said it regretted the Soviet action.
Moscow refused to set a date to resume the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks -- known as START -- on grounds that the 'global strategic situation' has been changed by the deployment of new U.S. medium-range missiles in Europe.
The negotiations were broken off by Moscow after a plenary meeting that lasted just 35 minutes, the shortest since START began on June 30, 1982.
'Today the delegations of the U.S.S.R. and U.S. met in a plenary session ending the fifth round of the START negotiations,' the Soviet statement said as translated and read out by a reporter of the TASS news agency.
'In view of the deployment of the new U.S. missiles in Europe that has already started, the changes in the global strategic situation make it necessary for the Soviet side to review all problems which are under discussion at START negotiations.
'Therefore, no date for the resumption of the talks has been set,' the statement said.
U.S. chief START negotiator Edward L. Rowny, in a statement to reporters, said, 'We regret that the U.S.S.R. has chosen not to set a resumption date for the next round.
'We cannot agree with Soviet assertions that developments outside the scope of these negotiations require the Soviet Union to withhold agreement on a resumption date for the sixth round of START,' he said.
'The United States, for its part, is fully prepared to continue the regular pattern of the START negotiations,' Rowny said.
'We have proposed to resume round six in early February and we hope that the U.S.S.R. will soon agree on a date for resuming these negotiations which are in the interest of both our nations and of the entire world.'
In Washington, initial U.S. reaction was cautious.
Robert McFarlane, President Reagan's national security adviser, interviewed on ABC's 'Good Morning America' program, said it might 'take time, weeks, perhaps months,' but 'I think we can get it (the talks) started again.'
At the White House, one official declined to give much weight to the Soviet move. 'That's just the end of the meeting,' he said.
Rowny said the United States made 'a reasonable proposal' at START to reduce strategic nu:lear warheads by one-third to 5,000 on each side.
Washington further proposed a 'build-down' of heavy bombers and long-range missiles, he said.
'We have demonstrated great flexibility by modifying our position to take into account concerns expressed by the Soviet Union,' Rowny said.
He said Washington also offered to discuss 'trade-offs between areas of U.S. and Soviet interests and advantages' but did not give further details, declining to answer any questions after reading out his prepared statement.
START was broken off by Moscow at the end of the fifth round of talks which lasted two months like previous rounds and which otherwise would have recessed for a normal two months.
On Nov. 23 Moscow broke off parallel negotiations on limiting medium-range nu:lear missiles in Europe after the West German parliament approved the deployment of Pershing-2 missiles in its territory.
The Soviet action today at START meant that all nu:lear arms control talks between the two superpowers had been suspended.
Washington and its NATO allies have expressed hopes that Moscow will return to the negotiating table at a later date.
U.S. cruise and Pershing-2 medium-range missiles are being deployed by NATO in Western Europe to counter the Soviet arsenal of triple-warhead SS-20 missiles aimed at west European targets.
The more than 230 SS-20 missiles involved -- a further 100 or so are deployed by Moscow in the Asian region of the Soviet Union -- could destroy all West European capitals within minutes.
Up to 572 cruise and Pershing-2 missiles, capable of striking targets within the Soviet Union, will be deployed unless a limitation or elimination agreement can be reached with Moscow.
The brief meeting at which Moscow broke off the START negotiations was held at the Soviet delegation building.
Chief Soviet delegate Viktor P. Karpov did not issue a statement.
START had basically remained in deadlock since the outset with Washington and Moscow charging each other with blocking progress toward an agreement.
President Reagan centered U.S. proposals on reducing strategic nu:lear warheads to 5,000 on each side and on dismantling older delivery systems at a faster rate than the deployment of new long-range missiles and bombers.
Moscow for its part proposed a ceiling of 1,800 on each side for all strategic weapons -- ground and sea-launched missiles and heavy bombers.
