MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. Russia needs to resume cooperation with the United States in the supply of energy equipment for the Arctic projects to prevent possible accidents and environmental pollution, Alexander Shokhin, head of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, told reporters.
"This is something that has to do with climate and ecology. Lifting of sanctions there and cooperation. In 2014, the first sanctions were imposed on energy equipment, including in the Arctic and offshore. We believe that it is necessary to start with the Arctic and the shelf. Because the pollution of, say, the Arctic, if it suddenly happens due to some outdated technologies and the need to modernize them, install new equipment, and so on, if it happens for this reason, then everyone will suffer," Shokhin said.
He noted that Japanese companies involved in the Arctic projects are not leaving Russia. "Therefore, the Americans can also look at various forms of cooperation here, realizing that many have said they will not come back, but nevertheless it is possible to supply some equipment, components for previously supplied equipment, and so on," Shokhin said.