(CNN) — The US Coast Guard is buying four icebreaker ships from Finland, further bolstering America’s ability to put military assets in the Arctic at a time when Russia and China’s influence in the region is growing — and as experts have worried the US is not moving quickly enough.

The agreement, formally unveiled Thursday to coincide with a White House meeting between US President Donald Trump and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, is part of a larger deal to use “Finnish expertise” to construct up to seven additional icebreakers in US shipyards, a White House official told CNN. The up to 11 total medium icebreakers are expected to cost around $6.1 billion, the official added, with the goal of the first being delivered by 2028.

“The cooperation benefits both countries, Finland and the

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