US warns China, Russia over Arctic amid environmental shifts

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, steps off a plane upon arrival in Rovaniemi, Finland, Monday, May 6, 2019. (Mandel Ngan/Pool Photo via AP)

ROVANIEMI, Finland – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the Trump administration is moving to assert America's presence in the Arctic. He's warning China and Russia that the U.S. won't stand for aggressive moves into the region that's rapidly opening up to development and commerce as temperatures warm and sea ice melts.

Pompeo says in a speech in Finland that the U.S. will compete for influence in the Arctic and counter attempts to make it the strategic preserve of any one or two nations. He says rule of law must prevail for the Arctic to remain peaceful.

The speech comes a day before Pompeo attends a meeting of the Arctic Council at a time of profound shifts in the region's environment and widespread criticism of the Trump administration's skepticism of climate change