Polar friend: American business is ready to cooperate with Russia in the Arctic

Economic cooperation between the Russian Federation and the United States may begin in the Arctic after the normalization of relations between Moscow and Washington, Robert Agee, head of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Russian Federation, told Izvestia. We are talking about the extraction of resources, including rare earth metals, while Russia has previously stated its readiness to discuss such cooperation. Experts allow for different formats, from the admission of foreign companies to the resource base of the Russian Federation to the resumption of work in the Arctic Council. However, the launch of the projects is based on the high cost of production and infrastructure constraints, as well as the dispute over Greenland, which Washington considers primarily through the prism of security.

Russia and the United States can work together in the Arctic

Against the background of discussions on the possible normalization of Russian-American contacts, the parties are looking for areas for cooperation. The Arctic is increasingly being referred to as one of these areas.

It is there that Russia and the United States act as immediate neighbors. In addition, the region has huge natural resources, including rare earth metals, which are becoming easier to access as the climate changes, Robert Agee, head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, told Izvestia.

— We do not rule out that after the normalization of interstate relations, the first joint Russian-American projects will be launched in the Arctic. As we know from the media, Russian representatives have already discussed similar ideas with their American counterparts," he said.

In February 2025, Vladimir Putin spoke about his readiness to offer US partners joint work in the field of rare and rare earth metals in the Arctic. According to media reports, the Russian president even discussed possible deals with the American side, linking them to the issue of trade restrictions.

Moscow could provide an opportunity for American companies to gain access to their resource base, Konstantin Sukhoverkhov, the INF program manager, said in a conversation with Izvestia.

"The practice itself is not new for Russia: joint ventures and international consortia have already worked in the oil and gas sector — just recall the Sakhalin—1 and Sakhalin-2 projects, where Russian, American and Japanese companies participated," he said.

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However, first it is necessary to regain trust — to resume cooperation in the Arctic Council and environmental initiatives, for example, in preparation for the Fifth International Polar Year, Roman Zhilin, a junior researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said in a conversation with Izvestia.

At the same time, large—scale projects such as a railway tunnel under the Bering Strait between the Russian Federation and the United States, which Kirill Dmitriev, the special representative of the President of the Russian Federation for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, proposed and Donald Trump, the head of the White House, called interesting, do not look realistic yet, the expert added.

What hinders cooperation between Moscow and Washington

At the same time, the Arctic remains one of the most difficult and expensive areas for mining, despite climate change. Remoteness, storms, ice, and the polar night invariably increase the time and cost of exploration, construction, and logistics.

In permafrost conditions, one also has to deal with subsidence and accidents at infrastructure facilities. According to the intergovernmental panel on Climate Change, a significant proportion of Arctic infrastructure will be at risk by the middle of the century due to permafrost degradation. With such introductory conditions, projects in the Arctic cannot be implemented quickly. Rather, it is a matter of the long term, rather than the coming years.

Joint projects with the United States would also face financial and political risks. The political background and sanctions would clearly not contribute to a good investment climate. In August 2025, the head of the White House, Donald Trump, clearly outlined the terms of such cooperation: "no deals" until the Ukrainian conflict is resolved.

Against this background, the economic agenda is receding into the background — the United States continues to increase activity in the Arctic, primarily through the prism of security, and this is most clearly reflected in the discussion around Greenland.

Why Greenland is important to the United States

According to this logic, Danish autonomy is a strategic point of control for Washington in the Arctic and the North Atlantic. At the same time, the resource argument is not the only one and not even the key one.

If it were just about resources, then there are analogues on the territory of the United States itself, Nikita Belukhin, a junior researcher at the Department of European Political Studies at the IMEMO RAS, told Izvestia. Due to the developed transport infrastructure, their extraction in the United States is probably more justified than in Greenland, the expert added. In addition, after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Washington gained access to the largest proven oil reserves in the country.

Trump openly declares that Danish autonomy is "very important for national security." According to him, Denmark "cannot be a reliable guarantor of the island's protection" in the event of pressure from Russia or China, while the United States "can" provide such protection.

Since the Cold War, the US military presence on the island has been part of the national defense and control system for the Arctic, Sukhoverkhov believes.

— Therefore, the current emphasis of the Trump administration on the fact that Greenland should be under American control looks more like an attempt to consolidate its influence in the political sphere. At the same time, Washington, even without changing the island's status, could increase its military presence — expand infrastructure, build additional facilities — and thereby de facto strengthen control over the territory and the space around it," the expert emphasized.

In January statements, Trump repeatedly spoke about the Golden Dome project, an American initiative to create a multi—layered missile defense system. He put it this way: Greenland is "vital" for the Golden Dome project under construction, and NATO "must work to ensure that the United States gets the island."

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Against this background, on January 14, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President of the United States Jay Dee Vance met with the foreign Ministers of Denmark and Greenland in Washington. Following the meeting, the parties announced the creation of a US–Denmark working group to discuss a wide range of issues on the island in the coming weeks. Copenhagen and Nuuk have publicly stressed that they have not been able to change Washington's position.

The head of the White House, in communication with the press, once again made it clear that he was counting on a final decision on the future management of the territory. Moreover, the United States also does not rule out a military solution to the issue.

The European reaction to Trump's statements about Greenland boils down to the inviolability of sovereignty. Denmark and the autonomous authorities publicly emphasize that the island is "not for sale," and they call talks about a military option irresponsible and insist that security issues should be resolved between the allies.

At the same time, in order to show unity and strengthen Arctic defense, Copenhagen announced an increased presence around the island in coordination with its allies. A number of countries, including Sweden, Finland, Great Britain and France, have announced the deployment of military personnel to the island. For example, Helsinki sent two officers to Greenland, and London even sent one representative of its Armed Forces.

Attempts to ignore Russian interests in the Arctic region will not go unanswered and will have serious consequences. This was announced on January 15 by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.