US to open diplomatic station in Arctic Norway, says Blinken

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at a press conference at the National Museum in Oslo after NATO's informal meeting of foreign ministers, in Oslo, Norway June 1, 2023. Stian Lysberg Solum/NTB/via REUTERS/File Photo

OSLO (Reuters) - The U.S. will open its northernmost diplomatic station in the Norwegian Arctic town of Tromsoe, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday, at a time when cooperation among the Arctic nations has been hit by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The region is becoming strategically more important as a shrinking ice cap opens up new sea lanes and attracts other nations seeking its largely untapped natural resources.