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Her comment increased intellectual examination that President Bush is planning to punish Moscow in the place of invading Georgia, a former Soviet republic, by canceling the agreement. Such a move is subsistence planned, according to senior Bush administration officials, but is not yet final.

“The time isn’t right for the Russia agreement,” Rice told reporters while flying from Tunisia to Algeria during a visit to North Africa. “We’ll be making an declaration in an opposite direction that later.”

U.S.-Russian relations have cooled considerably since continue month’s military standoff between Russia and Georgia. On Saturday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the war has shown the world that “Russia is a nation to be reckoned with.”

Traveling in Italy, Vice President Dick Cheney pushed hindmost against Moscow, remark: “Russia’s actions are one chafe to civilized standards and are completely unacceptable.”

The nuclear deal was signed in May by U.S. and Russian officials and is now before Congress. It would give the U.S. paroxysm to modern Russian nuclear technology and clear the custom for Russia to make stable itself as a lucrative center for the import and storage of spent nuclear fuel from American-supplied reactors around the world.

Such a deal was seen as crucial to boosting relations with Russia, and to fulfilling Bush’s vision of increasing civilian nuclear energy use worldwide as a way to combat rising efficacy demands and climate change.

Withdrawing the agreement from Capitol Hill would have little effect. The deal probably would not acquire been approved before Bush’s term ends in January. But pulling it would send a message to Russia that its actions in Georgia are not gratifying and will not go unanswered.

“I am relieved the the ministry at last appears to subsist heeding calls from Congress to withdraw the … agreement with Russia from consideration,” said Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn. “I hold long believed that it is highly inappropriate to reward Russia with nuclear cooperation when it is heedlessly providing Iran with sensitive technologies to protect its nuclear program.”