When US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin sit down together in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, it will mark the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders in seven years, and the chosen venue is as loaded with symbolism as it is with strategy.
The high-stakes negotiations to end the war in Ukraine will take place at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, a large military installation in the largest city in Alaska. The location is never a coincidence in the field of international diplomacy.
Alaska once flew the Russian flag
Alaska’s story begins long before it joined the United States. Once a Russian colony, the territory was sold to America in 1867 for $7.2 million, about two cents an acre.
At the time, the sale was welcomed by the Imperial Court in St. Petersburg, which struggled to extract economic value from the remote outpost.
For Putin, Alaska provides legal protection in addition to a lesson in history. The Russian leader faces arrest in more than 125 nations after being charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court in 2023.
Proximity to the US and Russia
Alaska, which is only four kilometres across the Bering Strait, is the US’s closest geographic neighbour to Russia. Hence, we can say that the two nations are close neighbours.
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, the location of the summit, is not a typical conference location. Constructed during the Cold War, it is a vital component of northern defence and is home to some of America’s most cutting-edge fighter jets.
Because of its remote location, which guarantees strict security and little outside interference, leaders can speak freely. The meeting’s location also conveys a nod to the Arctic.
The area is evolving into a new arena for US-Russia cooperation and competition as melting ice reveals unexplored resource reserves and opens new shipping lanes.