US President Donald Trump has admitted that the US is significantly behind Russia in the number of icebreakers.
“We didn't have one, now we have one. Russia has 48, and we have one. That's just ridiculous“, he said in comments broadcast by the White House.
Building one icebreaker in the US would cost as much as ordering eleven icebreakers from Finland, Trump added.
“We ordered 11 icebreakers from Finland. If we build one, it would cost us almost as much as 11. And each of those 11 would be much better than it. "It doesn't seem like a good option," he said.
In early October, during a meeting with his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb, the US president announced that Washington would purchase 11 icebreakers from Finland.
In July, Stubb announced that his country would deliver several icebreakers to the US before the end of Trump's presidential term in 2029.