When US President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday (August 15) to discuss Moscow’s war in Ukraine, the pair will meet for their first in-person encounter since the full-scale Russian invasion began in the US Turf with close geographical and cultural links with Russia.
Alaska’s choice is no coincidence. The easternmost state in the United States holds a strategic and symbolic position in US-Russia relations dating back centuries.
It’s not the first time a state has hosted world leaders. Ronald Reagan met Pope John Paul II in 1984, and Richard Nixon welcomed Japanese Emperor Hirohito in 1971.
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said he would “go to Russia on Friday.”
However, Alaska was once part of the Russian Empire, but in 1867 the United States purchased it from the imperial regime for $72 million.
The link between Alaska and Russia runs even deeper. In 1799, Emperor Paul founded a Russian-American company, forged the commercial and cultural ties that still echo today.
Russian footprints
Now a complete part of the United States, Alaska holds visible traces of Russia’s past.
The historic building remains, and according to the state’s official website, the Russian Orthodox Church operates in around 80 communities.
Many of these still use old-style Russian orthodox calendars, such as celebrating Christmas on the Western calendar on January 7th.
Indigenous people such as Yupike and Chukchi have lived on both sides of the Bering Strait for centuries and have maintained family, cultural and trade relations despite formalization of the US-Russia border.
Not always your friendly neighbor
Geography in Alaska has long been strategically important. Called the “Protector of the North,” it is the province of the state closest to Russia. It separates just 88km of mainland and is only 3,8km away in the Bering Strait.
During the Cold War, Mikhail Gorbachev’s government called the area “Ice Curtains.” Alaska has major Air Force and Army facilities, operating as a command center, logistics hub and base for fighter interceptors with prompt warnings.
Today, Alaska has stations for the North Warning System, the US and Canadian radar system for air defense in the region. Provides airspace monitoring from potential invasions or attacks from polar regions of North America.
The contested highway to Aric
Today, Alaska sits at the gateway to the changing Arctic Circle. The Bering Strait is the only direct maritime passage between the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic Ocean, and the value of the route to global transport is increasing as sea ice recedes due to climate change.
The North Sea route following Russia’s Arctic coastline is more navigable, providing a shorter path between Asia and Europe, reflecting recent debates about Greenland’s strategic values.
Transportation through the straits includes container ships, oil tankers, bulk carriers that transport minerals and ores, and vessels for oil, gas and mining operations in Alaska and Siberia.
A rich land
Wealth in Alaska’s natural resources adds to its strategic weight. The state holds an estimated 3.4 billion barrels of crude oil reserves and 125 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. It is one of the country’s top oil producers, and has acquired major production volumes from fields in North Slope and Prudho Bay.
These resources are important to U.S. energy security as Alaska’s oil, gas and critical mineral development reduces dependence and strengthens both economic and national security.
The state’s mineral production includes large quantities of zinc, lead, coal, and other materials considered essential to modern industries. Its vast boreal forests also provide timber, with native companies responsible for more than half of Alaska’s total production.
