U.S., Russia mull joint Arctic resource extraction - Bloomberg
Kyiv • UNN
The United States and Russia are in talks about possible cooperation on resource extraction in the Arctic. Washington sees this as a way to weaken ties between Moscow and Beijing, despite the concerns of NATO allies.
Russia and the United States are discussing future cooperation. Officials in Moscow and Washington have identified the Arctic as a possible area for economic cooperation. This was reported by Bloomberg, according to UNN.
Details
According to knowledgeable sources, this approach is part of a broader “policy of détente” that President Donald Trump is pursuing in relations with Moscow. In particular, they discussed natural resource exploration and trade routes. Cooperation in the field of energy exploration is also seen as a goal of the United States.
Both Russia and the United States have recently made it clear that they are open to cooperation, which is a concern for European and NATO allies who have been seeking to isolate Moscow since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine,
One of the interlocutors said that American officials see cooperation in the Arctic as a way to drive a wedge between Moscow and Beijing. However, the source noted that this is unlikely to succeed, given how close Russia and China have become in recent years, especially given the “no holds barred” partnership after the start of Russia's war against Ukraine.
Surrounded by Russia and seven NATO members - the United States, Canada and the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden - the Arctic has attracted increasing attention in recent years as melting ice due to climate change opens up shipping lanes and the possibility of exploring potential energy and mineral resources,
Kirill Dmitriev , head of Russia's state-owned direct investment fund, said after Russian-American talks in Saudi Arabia that cooperation on energy projects in the Arctic was one of the “specific areas of cooperation” the two sides discussed.
The publication notes that at the end of last year, the Pentagon unveiled its Arctic Strategy. It emphasized the risk of China and Russia uniting in the region. In accordance with the policy of the previous US President Joe Biden, the United States sought to expand its military readiness and surveillance in the Arctic in response to the “growing rapprochement” between Moscow and Beijing.
Recall
The Kremlin, through the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund , has proposed a deal on natural resources to the United States. Russia is ready to provide access to oil and joint projects in the Arctic.
