The United States plans to purchase eleven icebreakers from Finland because it needs them, US President Donald Trump said at a joint press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb. The broadcast was hosted by the White House.
"We have a large order planned. We buy icebreakers. Basically building them together: four there and seven here. I think we got a pretty good price," Trump said.
He noted that at the moment the United States has only one icebreaker, while other countries have more such ships.
There is only one active icebreaker left in the USA — the heavy Polar Star. The second icebreaker, Polar Sea, suffered an engine failure in 2010 and has not been used since.
The US President also noted that Finland creates "the best icebreakers in the world," adding that the country is "practically a monopoly" in the field of their construction.
According to Trump, the United States plans not only to buy icebreakers from Finland, but also to learn from her experience in their construction.
Stubb, in turn, said that the first Finnish icebreaker will be handed over to the United States in 2028.
The leaders of the United States and Finland discussed the possibility of buying icebreakers back in March during a meeting at the Trump International Golf Club. Then Trump stressed that the United States needs new icebreakers that will contribute to ensuring international security. He also noted the desire to strengthen the partnership between Washington and Helsinki.
In August, Reuters wrote about the discussion in the United States of a deal on icebreakers with Russia. The discussion began on the eve of the Russian-American talks in Anchorage. According to the agency, American officials were considering the possibility of attracting Russian nuclear icebreakers to support gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production projects in Alaska.
Following the summit in Alaska, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that American partners are interested in Russian technologies. He recalled that in There are significant reserves of natural resources in the Arctic. He noted that Russia has already started working there, and cited NOVATEK, a company working in the field of natural gas liquefaction, as an example.
Russia has the world's only nuclear icebreaker fleet, which plays a central role in ensuring year—round navigation along the Northern Sea Route, a strategic route for global energy and trade flows.
The Northern Sea Route is a logistics corridor that allows exporting energy and mineral resources from the northern regions of Russia, RBC reminds.
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