U.S. president Donald Trump and his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb signed an agreement Thursday that will allow the U.S. Coast Guard up to eleven icebreakers to enhance U.S. security in the Arctic.

Trump and Stubb established friendly relations since Trump gained power in January. The two met at the president's Mar-a-Lago in Florida in March and played golf.

The two leaders signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Icebreaker Cooperation that aims to lay the groundwork for future commercial agreements between U.S. Coast Guard companies and Finnish firms.

The agreement stipulates that Finland will construct four "Arctic Security Cutters" in Finnish shipyards, while the U.S. will use Finnish expertise to build up to seven ASCs at US shipyards.

Trump, sitting in the Oval Office with Stubb, said: "We are buying the best icebreakers on the market, and Finland is well-known for its production."

Stubb said it was a "huge decision" made by Trump, "because we know that the Arctic has strategic importance."

A White House official revealed that the 11 Arctic security cutters - medium icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard to use - will cost around $6.1 billion.

Trump said that the United States will defend Finland, an ally of NATO, if Russian president Vladimir Putin orders an attack. "I don't believe he's gonna do that," he added.

Stubb, in an interview, also downplayed the short-term Russian threat to Finland. He said that Moscow was not "an imminent military threat."

Trump has repeatedly called on the United States of America to purchase up to 40 new icebreakers in order to improve U.S. security and counter the increasing influence of China and Russia.

Russia has 40 icebreakers at the moment. This is many times more than the next closest country. This gives the NATO's main enemy a significant advantage up north.

Stubb stated in an interview after his meeting with Trump that "people are realizing that we must strengthen our deterrence to prevent a conflict" (with Russia).

COAST GUARD FLEET UPGRADE

Officials said that Bollinger Shipyards, located in Houma in Louisiana, will build four of the eleven ships, while three will be constructed by Davie, an international shipbuilder in Galveston.

It is hoped that the first icebreaker will be delivered in 2028. The official stated that the deals will result in new investments of billions of dollars in the U.S. maritime industry base, and thousands of skilled jobs for Americans.

Officially, there are only two Arctic security cutters in the Coast Guard's fleet.

Stubb and Trump, who sometimes serves as an intermediate between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy were also scheduled to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Stubb, when asked if he had sent any messages to Trump from his meeting with Zelenskiy, Stubb replied that "always" his government communicates "back-and-forth" between the two men. He declined to provide details.

Trump has recently stepped up his rhetoric against the Kremlin. He spent the first few months of his presidency trying to warm his relationship with Putin. Trump has been considering ways to increase pressure on Moscow, including new tariffs and sanctions. However, the most ambitious requests from Ukraine and Europe have not yet been met.

Stubb stated, "We have clearly seen that he has changed his approach with Russia. He has gone from carrots to sticks." We'll see what he does. He is a man who has a lot of independence on this type of issue.

The last time Stubb visited Washington, Trump and NATO allies stated that they would put together a comprehensive security plan for an post-war Ukraine during a visit in August with other European leaders.

Stubb said that political support was still required to implement the plan.

Stubb said, "I believe that we have made progress." "Especially on military side, it's pretty much done." Then we need to decide how we will do it on the political front.

PEOPLE MUST BE MORE FINISH

Stubb played down any concerns that there could be a move of U.S. forces out of Europe, as part of a U.S. force position review. He argued Trump is still committed to Europe. He also said that he did not consider Russia, which shares an 830-mile-long border with Finland, to be a "imminent threat".

In June, Germany's chief of foreign intelligence said that Germany had received intelligence indicating Russia is determined to extend their confrontation with Europe beyond Ukraine's borders, and Kyiv "was only a step on a journey westward."

Stubb was asked about the assessment that Russia might invade a NATO nation in the next few years. "Be honest, I believe people need to become a bit more Finnish. This means being calm, cool and collected. Take a sauna or an ice bath." "Prepare."

Helsinki's government announced last year that Finland was the leading producer of icebreakers in the world. About 80% of the existing ships were designed by Finnish companies and 60% of them were built on its shipyards.

The Finnish government has long sought icebreaker agreements with the United States. However, such efforts have been rejected by a strict interpretation of the Jones Act. This U.S. law prioritizes the domestic maritime industry.

A 2021 report by the Congress found that the Jones Act does not apply to icebreakers, and that the President could grant exceptions to legal restrictions regarding the construction of vessels at foreign shipyards. Steve Holland, Anne Kauranen, Jeff Mason, Clarence Fernandez and Mark Heinrich; Deepa Babington and Chizu Nomiyama edited the report.

(source: Reuters)