Alaska will take a rare step into the spotlight as it plays host to the high-stakes summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, creating a key backdrop for a meeting the administration hopes will open a path towards ending the Ukraine war.
The 49th state has usually taken a place on the periphery of U.S. national politics, especially in recent years. But the setting here is notable as Trump and Putin descend on the former Russian colony for a meeting the former has long sought as part of his promises to end the fighting in Eastern Europe.
Alaskans believe it is fitting that talks between the two nations will come to their shores.
“You can see the impact of Russian colonialism on Alaska to this day,” said Brandan Boylan, a political science professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
“If President Trump was going to host President Putin in the U.S. and it wasn’t going to be at the White House, I’m actually not surprised it’s here in Alaska given the very rich history that Alaska has between the two states,” Boylan said.
Despite its far-flung location, Alaska has played host to a number of key meetings throughout the years, headlined most recently by talks in 2021 between the Biden administration and Chinese officials that were punctuated by heated back-and-forths and angry words.
In 1984, former President Reagan met with Pope John Paul II in Fairbanks amid the push to defeat the Soviet Union. Former President Nixon also met with Emperor Hirohito of Japan in 1971 in Anchorage.
But the upcoming sit-down with Putin may take the cake as most high-profile given the lengthy history between Alaska and Russia. The first Russian settlers arrived in Alaska during the 18th Century, with the Russian Empire laying claim to it starting in 1732. Alaska eventually became part of what was known as Russian America in 1799.
Eventually, Alexander II sold Alaska to the U.S. for $7.2 million over fears that it would be conquered and taken over by the British. The sale was routinely mocked in Russian culture well into the 20th Century as Alaskan riches and natural resources only became clear in the years after.
Its roughly 50-mile proximity to Russia coupled with important roles on numerous fronts, including energy, puts Alaska in a prime spot to host the summit.
“No other place plays a more vital role in our national defense, energy security, and Arctic leadership,” Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) wrote on X.
“It’s fitting that discussions of global importance take place here. For centuries, Alaska has been a bridge between nations, and today, we remain a gateway for diplomacy, commerce, and security in one of the most critical regions on earth.”
The venue choice also makes sense on a number of other fronts. The International Criminal Court has a warrant out for Putin’s arrest stemming from the Ukraine war, but the U.S. does not recognize the court.
The locale is also more straight forward for Putin as it means he does not have to fly through potentially perilous parts of European airspace.
“Alaska is a beautiful state that is geographically convenient for both parties. It was an appropriate venue for President Trump to accept President Putin’s request to meet,” a White House official told The Hill.
How much of the two presidents Alaskans will be able to see beyond their aircrafts arriving and departing is unclear. The meeting is expected to take place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, which would be out of view from onlookers and likely protesters.
However, the meeting also could have an outsize impact on Alaskans more broadly as sanctions placed on Russia have hit the state more acutely than numerous other states.
“The sanctions have not hurt Alaska directly, but the absence of communication and cooperation has,” said former Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell (R) in an interview.
Treadwell specifically pointed to the changes in Russian fishing practices in the Bering Sea due in part to the sanctions, which have led to fewer and fewer fish turning up in the Yukon River in recent years, as one example. He also noted that it’s become more difficult for those in Alaska to enter Russia to visit family members in recent years.
Those practices won’t change until relations are normalized, and that is impossible without an end to the war, Treadwell said.
“It’s the tail wagging the dog in geopolitics for us to complain about it,” Treadwell said. “But Alaskans here are happy here that the president is making a bold move with this guy to say, ‘Hey, how do we figure out peace?’ That hasn’t happened.”
Boylan also pointed to the lasting signs of Russian influence across the state, particularly along the Aleution Islands and in southeast Alaska where Russian settlements stood. There are also a number of Russian Orthodox churches, as well as a small Russian diaspora community.
Notably, Putin’s appearance in Anchorage will make him the first Russian leader to set foot in Alaska — a setting that was well received by top Moscow officials and the Russian state media.
Vladimir Dzhabarov, a Russian senator, labeled the venue choice “very wise,” adding that it was “very far from Ukraine.”
Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s aide on foreign affairs, also said in an audio message shared by the Kremlin on Telegram last week that the meeting’s setting is “quite logical for our delegation to simply fly across the Bering Strait and for such an important and anticipated summit of the leaders of the two countries to be held specifically in Alaska.”
The big question, however, is what will eventually emerge from the meeting and whether it will be successful for Trump and the U.S. Little has been revealed about the talks outside of the city and that Trump and Putin plan to meet in a one-on-one setting.
Trump also downplayed expectations in recent days, saying that he is going to “see what [Putin] has in mind,” and will “probably in the first two minutes … know exactly whether or not a deal can get done.”
That hasn’t stopped some in the state from pondering the potential historical significance if it yields success and is a key step towards a conclusion of the war.
“I was joking earlier this week that if this actually ends up in peace, it would be nice to be known as the Alaska Accords — kind of like the Camp David Accords — or something like that, historically,” Treadwell said.
The former lieutenant governor did acknowledge a downside especially given Trump’s previous sitdown with Putin — the 2018 meeting in Helsinki where he sided with the Russian leader over the FBI on whether the Kremlin meddled in the 2016 presidential election.
“I think that’s a risk all of us are willing to take,” Treadwell said, pointing to the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 as an example. “There’s some people who think Kyoto was the best thing for the world in addressing climate change, and there’s others who spit when they say the word ‘Kyoto.’”
“One way or another, Kyoto’s still a beautiful city in a wonderful place to visit,” he added.
Brett Samuels contributed.
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