Russia's Putin ready to meet Trump at Arctic summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to meet his U.S. counterpart, President Donald Trump, at an upcoming Arctic summit in Finland. Putin made the remark in response to Finnish President Sauli Niinistö's comments saying he would be happy to receive Russian and U.S. presidents in the country.
Speaking at an international Arctic forum in Russia's Arkhangelsk, Putin said, "Finland, in my view, it is a very convenient country, and Helsinki is a very suitable platform for organizing such events," as reported by Russian news agency TASS.
He also dismissed what he called "endless and groundless" accusations of Russian meddling in the U.S. election, describing them as part of the U.S. domestic political struggle. He sharply criticized the use of the "Russian card" in U.S. domestic politics, saying it contradicts American interests.
Focusing on the Arctic at the forum, Putin said, "It is essential to preserve the Arctic as a territory of constructive dialogue, creation and cooperation on an equal basis,"
"Russia sees no potential for conflicts in the Arctic Region," he said.
On a tour to the Franz Josef Land archipelago, a sprawling collection of islands where the Russian military has recently built a new runway and a permanent base, Putin emphasized on the need to protect Russia's economic and security interests in the Arctic, on Wednesday.
"Natural resources, which are of paramount importance for the Russian economy, are concentrated in this region," Putin said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies.
Putin said current estimates put the value of Arctic's mineral riches at $30 trillion.
In 2015, Russia submitted a revised bid for vast territories in the Arctic, to the United Nations, claiming 1.2 million square kilometers (over 463,000 square miles) of the Artic sea shelf, extending more than 350 nautical miles (about 650 kilometers) from the shore.
Finland is set to take the rotating leadership in the Arctic Council in May. The Arctic region is one of the major disputed areas between Russia and Western countries as countries with territories in the Arctic avoid risking military conflict around the North Pole with Russia.
The Arctic Council is composed of eight member countries with arctic territory, Russia, Canada, the U.S., Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Finland, while Germany, China and India hold observer statuses.
The Arctic Council aims to assess the threats of climate change and its effects on living conditions in the region around the North Pole and new opportunities to open ocean trade routes and offshore oil fields. Out of the Arctic Council members, only Norway's claims over part of the Arctic Ocean have been approved by the U.N.
The Arctic is very rich in mineral resources and is an area of land and sea that is mostly covered in ice. The area covers 20 to 30 million square kilometers and is believed to hold 30 percent of the world's undiscovered natural gas and one-seventh of its untapped oil reserves.
Speaking at an international Arctic forum in Russia's Arkhangelsk, Putin said, "Finland, in my view, it is a very convenient country, and Helsinki is a very suitable platform for organizing such events," as reported by Russian news agency TASS.
He also dismissed what he called "endless and groundless" accusations of Russian meddling in the U.S. election, describing them as part of the U.S. domestic political struggle. He sharply criticized the use of the "Russian card" in U.S. domestic politics, saying it contradicts American interests.
Focusing on the Arctic at the forum, Putin said, "It is essential to preserve the Arctic as a territory of constructive dialogue, creation and cooperation on an equal basis,"
"Russia sees no potential for conflicts in the Arctic Region," he said.
On a tour to the Franz Josef Land archipelago, a sprawling collection of islands where the Russian military has recently built a new runway and a permanent base, Putin emphasized on the need to protect Russia's economic and security interests in the Arctic, on Wednesday.
"Natural resources, which are of paramount importance for the Russian economy, are concentrated in this region," Putin said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies.
Putin said current estimates put the value of Arctic's mineral riches at $30 trillion.
In 2015, Russia submitted a revised bid for vast territories in the Arctic, to the United Nations, claiming 1.2 million square kilometers (over 463,000 square miles) of the Artic sea shelf, extending more than 350 nautical miles (about 650 kilometers) from the shore.
Finland is set to take the rotating leadership in the Arctic Council in May. The Arctic region is one of the major disputed areas between Russia and Western countries as countries with territories in the Arctic avoid risking military conflict around the North Pole with Russia.
The Arctic Council is composed of eight member countries with arctic territory, Russia, Canada, the U.S., Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Finland, while Germany, China and India hold observer statuses.
The Arctic Council aims to assess the threats of climate change and its effects on living conditions in the region around the North Pole and new opportunities to open ocean trade routes and offshore oil fields. Out of the Arctic Council members, only Norway's claims over part of the Arctic Ocean have been approved by the U.N.
The Arctic is very rich in mineral resources and is an area of land and sea that is mostly covered in ice. The area covers 20 to 30 million square kilometers and is believed to hold 30 percent of the world's undiscovered natural gas and one-seventh of its untapped oil reserves.