KIEV. June 5: Talks be tween Ukraine and Russia on the future of the Black Sea Fleet broke up In deadlock on Friday, leaving unresolved one of the key questions bedeviling relations between the two former Soviet republics, reports Reuter.

In Ukraine's parliament, deputies appeared to be lean Ing towards proclaiming Ukraine a temporary nuclear power, buoyed up by Pritne Minister Leonid Kuchma's call for Kiev to retain some of the former Soviet missiles on its territory.

Deputies put off further debate until later in the month. Ukraine's President, Leonid Kravchuk, pledged the former Soviet republic would ratify the Start ! and Non-Proliferation Treaties (NPT) as promised. The United States. France and Britain urged Ukraine to uphold its international obligations,

The Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers, meeting In Kiev and the fleet's headquar ters of Sevastopol in Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, were unable to agree how to divide the 300-vessel fleet or terms for a possible Russian lease of the 200-year-old naval shore base.

The talks went nowhere, Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesmar^Yuri Sergeyev said of the meeting between Andrei Kozyrev and Anatoly Zlenko.

The Russian and Ukrainian sides were preparing completely different final statements on their computers."

Negotiators were locked for most of the afternoon in talks in Sevastopol and the Russian delegation delayed its departure for a further 2 and half hours at Kiev airport to allow the talks to continue.

Ukrainian diplomats said Russia was Insisting on a 99-year lease on the naval base and payment over time. Ukraine was seeking payment In advance, a short lease and price concessions on imports of Russian oil and gas. It also wanted a quick division of the fleet's ships and equipment

The two sides were given unable to agree on a time and location for Presidents Boris Yeltsin and Leonid Kravchuk to meet to tackle outstanding issues.