The US plans to compete with Russia for part of the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route.
The United States will not let Russia control the Arctic waters. This was stated by the Commander of the US Navy in Europe and Africa, Admiral James Foggo.
“This is no one’s lake: all Arctic Council nations have the right to freely and openly exploit Arctic waters, and the United States is a member of that Council,” Foggo was quoted as saying by the Washington Examiner.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that Washington is planning to restore a US naval base on the Aleutian Islands, not far from the Russian border.
Earlier, US Coast Guard Commander Paul Zukunft said that five US shipyards are urgently building the first icebreaker, and have also started building the second one; the target of the US icebreaker fleet in the Russian Arctic is the Yamal region, which is vital to Russia's economic security.
According to preliminary estimates, the Arctic's underground oil reserves reach 100 billion tons, natural gas: 50 trillion cubic meters. The infrastructure potential of the Arctic is no less interesting: when the ice layer melts, it will be possible to cross the Arctic Ocean by the shortest sea route from Asia to the New World.
In January 2019, Russia imposed restrictions on passage along the Northern Sea Route for foreign ships carrying oil, gas and coal, but the United States and its partners in the "Arctic NATO" bloc find this situation difficult to accept.
