As climate change opens up the Arctic for transit and exploration, Russia has increasingly militarized the region. The U.S. is preparing a more aggressive presence of its own.
The Biden administration said the measures would degrade the ability to wage war on Ukraine and would prevent Belarus from channeling forbidden goods to Russia.
The secretary of state promised a new embassy in the Solomon Islands and help on issues like climate change, as Washington vies with Beijing for influence in the region.
