Top image: Official White House Photo by Molly Riley
The United States is in active negotiations to purchase up to 15 icebreakers from Finland, according to statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in The Hague this week.
In response to a media inquiry, President Trump expressed his eagerness to buy Finnish icebreakers, emphasizing Finland’s expertise in building high-quality vessels.
"You are the ‘King of Icebreakers,’ you make ’em good, really good," he said, referencing Finland's long-standing experience with in building icebreakers.
Track icebreaker vessels and Arctic traffic in real-time with ShipAtlas by Maritime Optima / Graphic: Line Omholt-Jensen / Screenshot: ShipAtlas
The president revealed that he made an initial offer for one of the icebreakers directly to Finnish President Alexander Stubb during a previous meeting between the two.
“I didn’t go to Congress. They’ll try and impeach me for this,” Trump added humorously.
According to Trump, the offer only covered one-third of what the Finnish president had asked for.
“We're negotiating. We need icebreakers in the U.S., and if we could get some inexpensive ones, then I’d like to do that.”
During the press conference, Trump noted that the proposed deal includes the purchase of a used Finnish icebreaker, estimated to be about five to six years old.
“We are trying to buy it and trying to make a good deal,” he said.
Trump also indicated that the U.S. is interested in purchasing up to 15 icebreakers from Finland.