MOSCOW, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Russia will seek to maintain nuclear parity with
the United States, said the country's national security strategy until 2020
released on Wednesday.
If the United States deploys a global missile defense system and pursues
the prompt global strike concept, Russia will "make every effort to retain
parity with the United States in the field of strategic offensive weapons in the
most cost-effective way," the strategy paper said.
In the long-term perspective, Russia needs to safeguard strategic stability
so as to gain favorable conditions for its steady development, the document
said.
Russia complies with "principles of maintaining stability and
predictability in the area of strategic offensive weapons and attaches special
significance to achieving new full-format bilateral agreements on continued
reduction and limitation of strategic offensive weapons," it said.
The paper also confirmed Russia's commitment to a world free from nuclear
weapons, and stated that Russia was ready to discuss the reduction of
conventional weapons.
The strategy document, approved by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on
Tuesday, listed top challenges to national security and outlined government
priorities through 2020.