President Donald Trump will host Finnish President Alexander Stubb at the White House on Thursday to sign a new icebreaker ship pact under which the Nordic nation will build four of the vessels, with seven more to be constructed in Texas and Louisiana.
The Trump administration said the deal will strengthen U.S. national security in the Arctic and counter China and Russia’s growing presence in the region.
Icebreakers are specialized ships designed to navigate through ice-covered waters and the U.S. Coast Guard currently operates only two active Arctic security cutters.
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay breaks up ice on the St. Clair River near Roberts Landing, Michigan, during a winter ice-clearing mission around 2015. (Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Stubb announced Thursday that the two countries will sign a memorandum of understanding on icebreaker cooperation later today.
"I will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on icebreaker cooperation together with President Trump," Stubb wrote in a post on X, adding that the agreement would "lay the foundation for commercial agreements between the U.S. Coast Guard and Finnish companies."
"It is great that Finnish expertise is trusted. The cooperation benefits Finland and the United States. The agreement would not have been possible without President Trump."
The 11 Arctic security cutters — new medium icebreakers to be used by the U.S. Coast Guard — are expected to cost about $6.1 billion, a White House official told Reuters.
The plan is expected to generate billions in new shipbuilding investment and create thousands of skilled trades jobs for Americans.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and President Donald Trump pictured together earlier this year during the funeral of Pope Francis in Vatican City. The two leaders are set to meet Thursday at the White House to sign a new U.S.–Finland icebreaker pac (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Three of the ships will be built by Davie in Galveston, Texas, and four will be built by Bollinger Shipyards in Houma, Louisiana, the official said.
The first ship is expected to be delivered by 2028, the official said.
Trump has consistently called for the United States to acquire as many as 40 new icebreakers to enhance U.S. national security in the Arctic and counter the growing influence of China and Russia.
The U.S. president has also identified Greenland as of vital strategic importance and has explored purchasing Greenland from Denmark, which controls Greenland’s foreign affairs and defense. Denmark rejected the idea outright.
Finland is the world's leading producer of icebreakers, with about 80% of existing ships designed by its companies and about 60% of them built at its shipyards, the Helsinki government said last year.
A Russian icebreaker plows through thick Arctic sea ice toward the North Pole. The United States and Finland are moving ahead with a new agreement to build 11 modern icebreakers for the U.S. Coast Guard. (Getty / Getty Images)
Trump and Stubb, who have established friendly ties since Trump regained power in January, are also expected to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The two met in March at the president's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida and played a round of golf. They were also seen sitting alongside one another and chatting at Pope Francis' funeral ceremony in the Vatican in April.
Reuters contributed to this report.