U.S. and Russia discussing cooperation in Arctic, with Washington hoping to undermine Russia–China relations — Bloomberg

Source: Bloomberg

The U.S. and Russia are discussing the Arctic as a potential area for economic cooperation, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.

According to the agency’s sources, the talks have included exploration of natural resources and trade routes, as well as cooperation in energy exploration. The negotiations are still at an early stage, Bloomberg notes.

U.S. officials, according to one source, see cooperation in the Arctic as a way to “drive a wedge between Moscow and Beijing.” However, the person said this is unlikely to succeed, given how close Russia and China have become in recent years.

After Russian and American delegations met in Saudi Arabia for talks on February 18, Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev said that cooperation on Arctic energy projects was among the “specific areas of cooperation” the parties discussed.