US mulled use of Russia icebreakers for gas development ahead of summit: Sources

LONDON — The United States has had internal discussions on using Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker vessels to support the development of gas and LNG projects in Alaska as one of the possible deals to aim for when President Donald Trump meets Vladimir Putin on Friday (Aug 15), three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Trump landed in Alaska on Friday for what he called a “high stakes” summit with Russia’s Putin to discuss a ceasefire deal for Ukraine and end the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two.

Both the US and Russian presidents, meeting at a Cold War-era air force base in Alaska’s largest city, are seeking wins from their first face-to-face talks since Trump returned to the White House.

The icebreaker idea has been discussed among White House officials as one of the potential deals to try to strike with Russia at the Alaska summit, one of the sources said.

The ongoing talks between the US and Russia over Ukraine have included discussions about business deals. The White House is planning to continue this approach at the summit on Friday, said the source, who like the others spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kremlin officials were not available for comment.

Russia operates the world’s only fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers, which play a central role in maintaining year-round shipping access along the Northern Sea Route, a strategic path for global energy and trade flows.

Trump’s administration is pushing to transport gas from Alaska’s remote north to Asian clients.

Trump has pitched Alaska LNG, a proposed US$44 billion (S$56 billion) project to ship liquefied natural gas along a 800 mile pipeline from Alaska, to Asian buyers as a way to reduce their dependence on Russian LNG.

Another project, similarly aimed at Asian markets, is Qilak LNG, which is targeting 4 million tons per annum of LNG.

Mead Treadwell, a Qilak LNG founder, said it would not be unusual for a US LNG project to rely on icebreakers of any nation that the US government allowed. “But we haven’t specifically asked for that,” Treadwell said.

An industry source said that Alaska LNG had “no identified needs for Russian icebreakers”.

Reuters was not immediately able to establish which, if any, specific project would benefit if a deal was reached in the Alaska talks.

The nuclear icebreakers could also facilitate the transport of construction materials and equipment to remote areas in Alaska, where infrastructure is limited and weather conditions are harsh.

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