The new U.S. nuclear doctrine should help strengthen the international nonproliferation regime, a senior Russian member of parliament said on Tuesday.
In an interview with The New York Times on Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama offered a sneak preview of his new nuclear strategy.
The Nuclear Posture Review, to be released by the U.S. administration later on Tuesday in Washington, will renounce the development of new nuclear warheads and the use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states that adhere to treaty commitments.
"The provision that the United States will not use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states will go some way toward consolidating the weakening nonproliferation regime," said Mikhail Margelov, head of the international affairs committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament.
He also highlighted the NPR's threat to countries with nuclear ambitions.
Obama said the United States "will continue to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in deterring non-nuclear attacks."
"To that end, the United States is now prepared to strengthen its long-standing 'negative security assurance' by declaring that the United States will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapons states," the NPR reads.
It goes on to say that any state that uses chemical or biological weapons against the United States or its allies and partners "would face the prospect of a devastating conventional military response."
The United States has stated it will not undertake the development new nuclear warheads.
"Life Extension Programs will use only nuclear components based on previously tested designs, and will not support new military missions or provide for new military capabilities," the NPR said.
A U.S. defense official earlier said that the document was to have been released in March, but more time was needed to address a range of security issues.
Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy James Miller said the document had been developed with regard to the new U.S.-Russian arms reduction pact due to be signed on Thursday in Prague.
MOSCOW, April 6 (RIA Novosti)
