Some high-level meetings have been postponed indefinitely, including a trip to Russia by John Rood, the acting undersecretary of State for arms control and international security, to discuss various security issues and to negotiate a new pact to replace the existing Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START.
And the congressionally appointed Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism has been asked to not go on its upcoming fact-finding visit to Moscow.
Many U.S. officials said the freeze couldn't come at a worse time. They cite intelligence showing that the Caucasus region increasingly is becoming a crossroads for Islamic extremists, criminal mafias, black market traffickers and corrupt government officials.
"What we have done is essentially put Russia on a 'do not communicate with, do not cooperate with' list across the entire spectrum of relations," said Donald Mahley, who recently retired after serving as one of the State Department's most senior international security and nonproliferation officials. "And that puts at risk a lot of things that are important to our own national security."
Some officials say such a hard-line posture could backfire because the reemerging superpower is key to most important U.S. security alliances. And Russia's vast oil wealth and increasing political influence give it the ability to undermine U.S. interests globally, in part by supplying arms and nuclear assistance to unfriendly nations and blocking efforts to contain the rogue ambitions of Iran and North Korea, Mahley said.
Russia's cooperation is needed to secure its own nuclear and chemical weapons stockpiles and those of about 20 other countries, and to prevent WMD material, technology and know-how from getting into the hands of terrorists, Mahley and other officials said.
Administration officials downplayed the potential long-term damage from the current freeze, and said the United States risked even worse consequences if it failed to think through how it would respond to Russia in unison with European allies.
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the administration wanted to work with Russia on "important areas of cooperation" such as counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation.
But, he added, "We continue to review all our options as we assess the way forward in U.S.-Russia relations. Russia's behavior certainly complicates diplomatic negotiations in a number of areas."
