Among other benefits, Alaska is a safe place for Putin, a prosecuted war criminal, to fly.
The Us-Russia Summit focuses on Alaska’s Arctic hub
Alaska’s military power and the proximity of the Arctic Circle make it an important yet exposed site for US and Russian diplomacy.
Why Alaska? After all, the state known as the last frontier is not a typical breeding ground for international diplomacy. But that’s where President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin mutually agreed to meet on August 15th.
The meeting will take place at Elmendorf-Richardson’s site, a vast joint base in Anchorage. The base is thousands of miles from both the White House and the Kremlin, on a land that once belonged to Russia.
However, Alaska itself is preparing to play an increasing role at the global stage as climate change opens new shipping routes near the Arctic as Russia, China and the US compete for control.
The Republican Alaska Senator said in a statement that choosing Alaska is natural. His hometown is “the most strategic place in the world.”
The United States persuaded Alaska from Russia in 1867, what was called “Seward’s foolishness” by then Secretary of the Interior William Seward, and today’s $160 million worth of Congress.
Trump has visited Alaska several times as president, where he called for expansion of oil, gas and mining permits, and even funded a new extreme icebreaker, a popular stance in the state that won 54% of the vote in 2024.
The face-to-face meeting between the men was called a “listening exercise” by White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt.
“The goal of this conference for the President is to leave with a better understanding of how this war can be ended,” Leavitt told reporters at an August 12 news briefing.
A safe space for Putin
Historians and political scientists say the place offers a surprising variety of benefits. Among them is the fact that there is a high possibility that no one will try to arrest Putin there.
The two men meet as part of Trump’s efforts to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This prompted the International Criminal Court to issue a warrant for Putin after indicting him with war crimes.
“I don’t think it’s a good time for him to go to Europe,” former Alaska Lieutenant Colonel Mead Treadwell said of Putin.
In addition to the warrants of arrest, Russian strong may have a hard time flying between Europe and Canada. The US did the same thing, but Trump apparently has abandoned the Biden-era ban due to Putin’s visit. Trump’s flight from Washington, DC takes about seven hours.
Some experts have also criticised Trump’s decision to host Putin on US soil, no matter how far away from the White House, to legalize Russian leaders. Last year, Putin received 87% of the votes voted in the Russian presidential election. This is a statistical election expert, likened to the “fake” elections held in an African dictatorship.
It’s closer than most people notice
Because Russia and Alaska are separated only by narrow stretches in the Bering Sea – yes, there are places where you can really see Russia from your American home – the logistics of acquiring both men are relatively simple, Yuri Ushakov, the assistant assistant to the Russian president, told the BBC.
The closest distance between the two countries is the small island of Diomede.
Little Diomede is American, while Big Diomere is Russian, but his family has long been divided into two parts. This reflects Russia’s previous Alaska ownership. The two islands are only three miles away. The two mainlands themselves are 55 miles away, with Alaska’s Seward Peninsula and Russia’s Chukotka Peninsula sitting opposite the Bering Sea.
The National Park Service Beringland Bridge National Reserve is partially present to highlight how the two peninsulas were once connected, allowing ancient people to move from Eurasian land to North America.
“For our delegation, it seems very logical for merely flying over the Bering Strait and such a critical and anticipated summit for both countries’ leaders in Alaska,” Ushakov said.
Alaska was once a part of Russia, so some cultural connections remain. Approximately 80 Russian Orthodox Churches and Chapels are still in Alaska, many of which are located in Peninsula, near the western islands of the state and the Bering Sea. The first Russian Orthodox Church was founded on Kodiak Island in 1794, and the Holy Resurrected Orthodox Cathedral still serves it.
During the Cold War, the threat of Soviet invasion from the West has prompted massive defensive investments in Alaska’s missile alert system and marine and aviation patrols that continue to this day. The base where Putin and Trump meet are home to fighter jets like the F-22 Raptor, and are used to intercept Russian military aircraft as they fly near the border.
Russian invasion pushed Ukrainians up to Alaska
Alaska has long had a Russian community, but following Russia’s 2022 invasion, hundreds of Ukrainian refugees have also moved there under the Federal Humanitarian Program. Trump put the program on indefinite hold when he took office.
Trump meets with Putin without Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky. This is a move that concerns European leaders who have pledged unconditional support in his country’s efforts to repel Russia.
European leaders have expressed concern that Trump will put pressure on Ukraine to make too many concessions to Putin. But Treadwell said he believes that ending the war should be a top priority, and if this meeting in Alaska is necessary, it’s worth it.
“There are ex-Russians who live in Alaska and many ex-Ukrainians who live in Alaska,” he said. “If this leads to peace, I think we’re all very happy.”
Alaska has long been a stopover for diplomatic missions.
In addition to its strategic military importance, Anchorage is a familiar stopover for diplomatic missions moving between Europe and Asia.
- In 1971, President Richard Nixon met with the Japanese emperor on the tarmac in Anchorage when Hirohito traveled to Europe for a conference. According to his presidential library, Nixon said it was the first time a Japanese monarch had stepped into foreign soil. Nixon also said their meeting was held almost equidistant from Tokyo.
- Pope John Paul II stopped in Anchorage on his way back to Rome from Japan in 1981, touring the city and meeting his followers. He also met President Ronald Reagan at Fairbanks in 1984.
- In 2021, then-ans Anthony Blinken national met with Chinese counterparts for several days of trade talks held at a hotel that was considered the halfway point between the two nations’ capitals.
Trump Putin’s meeting comes in Alaska’s busiest season
The White House has not discussed why meetings are being held at military bases, but one factor may have played a key role. This is Alaska tourist season and all other places are solid.
State statistics show that over 2 million tourists travel to Alaska every year, travelling via cruise ships and the historic Alaska Railroad.
Early in his administration, Trump renamed Denali Mount McKinley, and President Barack Obama renamed it to honor Alaska’s Native Americans. Trump said he is changing his name to honor former president William McKinley, who is responsible for adding Hawaii, Guam and several other territories to the United States.
Federal officials warn during the Trump Putin meetings on August 15th and August 16th that passengers and cargo flights to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport could be affected by temporary flight restrictions.
According to airport officials, August is July the second busiest month. Flight restrictions also affect the adjacent Lake Food Seaplane base, the busiest seaplane base in the world.
Many other presidents take counterparts on tourist trips or use state visits to do their own sightseeing, but Trump and Putin rarely spend time fishing or landing on glaciers. Inted, Trump said he hopes he will know “in the first two minutes” whether he will be able to reach the deal with Putin.
Treadwell, who was the state’s lieutenant governor from 2010 to 2014, said there was another reason Trump would agree to meet at Jber. He said that in addition to the traps of sand and the dangers of water, players there must regularly avoid moose and bears.
“In the summer here, you can play golf until almost midnight, but I don’t think he has time to do that,” he said. “I think all politically striped people want this conference to create peace.”
