President Trump and his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb, are expected to sign a deal on Thursday for the U.S. Coast Guard to acquire four Arctic icebreakers from shipyards in the Nordic country.

Mr. Stubb said the memorandum of understanding with the White House lays the foundation for future commercial agreements between the two countries.

“I’m proud that Finnish Arctic expertise is appreciated and trusted. The cooperation benefits both countries — Finland and the United States,” Mr. Stubb said in a post on X. “The deal would not have been possible without President Trump.”

The Coast Guard is responsible for the U.S. military’s icebreaking operations and needs additional vessels to compete with adversaries such as Russia and China in the High North. Its newest icebreaker, the cutter Storis, is a former supply and towing vessel for the oil industry. The acquisition expands the current Coast Guard Arctic icebreaker fleet to three.

The Storis recently returned to its home port in Seattle after completing a 112-day inaugural patrol in the Arctic.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.