"If the US aviation equipped with nuclear weapons is deployed at the [US] bases in Eastern Europe and NATO bases in the Baltics, at the former Soviet military airfields and airfields of the former Warsaw Pact countries, Russia will, of course, redirect everything [toward these targets] swiftly," Klintsevich said.
Russia will be forced to protect itself from such possible threats, the lawmaker added.
The United States will also incorporate nuclear capability onto the F-35 bombers, which would be used as a replacement for the current aging dual-capable aircraft.
READ MORE: Eagle's Claws Blunted: What's Driving US Effort to Modernize Its Nuclear Arsenal
Over the past years, the United States and NATO have been increasing their military build-up in Eastern Europe and Baltic countries, explaining such actions by the need to protect from alleged Russian aggression.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that Russia has never planned to attack any NATO member, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying that NATO recognizes the fact, but uses it as a pretext to deploy more equipment and battalions next to Russian borders.
