Russian President Vladimir Putin to make history as initial Russian head to Alaska during encounter with Trump
In a significant development, U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, 2023, marking the first face-to-face meeting between sitting Russian and U.S. presidents since June 2021. The discussions will focus on Ukraine and bilateral relations.
European leaders have welcomed Trump's efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, reiterating the need for a solution that protects both Kyiv and Europe's "vital security interests." The statement from European leaders emphasized that the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.
The White House is considering inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Alaska for potential meetings during the Putin-Trump summit. Everyone is hopeful that Zelenskyy will attend the meetings. However, whether Zelenskyy will attend remains unclear but is "absolutely" possible. Putin has expressed no objection to a trilateral meeting including Zelenskyy, but has emphasized the need to create the necessary conditions for such talks.
The issue of Zelenskyy's visit is being discussed, but no final plans have been made. The senior White House official stated that Trump remains open to the idea of a trilateral meeting involving Putin and Zelenskyy.
Alaska, the venue for this historic meeting, was discovered by explorers Mikhail Gvozdev and Ivan Fedorov in 1732. Initially Russian territory, Alaska provided income through the fur trade. However, Russia faced economic difficulties supplying and maintaining the territory, particularly after incurring debts from the Crimean War. In 1866, Emperor Alexander II authorized Russian minister Baron Eduard de Stoeckl to negotiate the sale of Alaska to the U.S. The U.S. Secretary of State William Henry Seward, an expansionist, engaged in negotiations, culminating in a treaty signed in March 1867, where the United States purchased Alaska for $7.2 million—less than two cents per acre.
This region is significant as it marks a time zone change. Alaska was sold to the U.S. primarily because Russia recognized that keeping the territory against British and American expansionist pressures was untenable. The purchase reflected the era's U.S. expansionist policy known as Manifest Destiny, viewing control of Alaska as inevitable and beneficial.
The border between Russia and the U.S. in the Bering Strait passes through a 3.8-kilometer distance between Big Diomede Island (Russia) and Little Diomede Island (U.S.). The Russian-American Company was established in Alaska in 1799.
The last Russian leader to visit the U.S. was in 2015, attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The meeting between Putin and Trump will be a significant step towards resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and redefining bilateral relations between the two nations.
[1] "Alaska: A History of the 49th State," H.W. Brands, 2005. [2] "The Purchase of Alaska," National Park Service, accessed June 2023, https://www.nps.gov/articles/alaska-purchase.htm. [3] "Seward's Folly: The U.S. Purchase of Alaska," History.com, accessed June 2023, https://www.history.com/news/seward-s-folly-us-purchase-alaska.
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