US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska on Friday, a state whose history with Russia and international tensions stretches back more than 300 years.
Russian settlement and 'Seward’s Folly'
Russian fur traders arrived in Alaska in the early 18th century, establishing hubs in Sitka and Kodiak Island. The Russian population never exceeded 400 permanent settlers, according to the US State Department. Russian settlers coerced Alaska Natives to hunt sea otters and other marine mammals for their pelts, while missionaries baptized an estimated 18,000 Alaska Natives, said Ian Hartman, a University of Alaska Anchorage history professor.
By 1867, after the otters were nearly extinct and Russia was financially weakened by the Crimean War, Czar Alexander II sold Alaska to the US for $7.2 million. The purchase, initially criticized as “Seward’s Folly,” gained attention after gold was discovered in 1896.
World War II and Cold War significance
During World War II, Japanese forces occupied Attu Island in the Aleutians, leading to what became known as the war’s “forgotten battle” in 1943. During the Cold War, US military leaders feared Soviet attacks over the North Pole and built radar systems and missile defenses across Alaska. Much of the state’s infrastructure, including roads and communities, was constructed during this period.
The Pentagon has continued to invest in Alaska’s defense, sending about 130 soldiers to a remote Aleutian island last year amid increased Russian military activity.
Alaska as a summit venue
Other world leaders have visited Alaska, including Japanese Emperor Hirohito in 1971, President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II in 1984, President Barack Obama in 2015, and Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2017.
Some critics say Alaska is a poor choice for the Trump-Putin meeting. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Anchorage and Juneau suspended long-standing sister city relationships with Russian cities. “It’s easy to imagine Putin making the argument during his meetings with Trump that, ‘Well, look, territories can change hands,’” said Nigel Gould-Davies, former British Ambassador to Belarus.
The summit highlights Alaska’s history as a site of international contestation, from Russian colonization to Cold War defenses, and its continued role in global diplomacy.
Russian settlement and 'Seward’s Folly'
Russian fur traders arrived in Alaska in the early 18th century, establishing hubs in Sitka and Kodiak Island. The Russian population never exceeded 400 permanent settlers, according to the US State Department. Russian settlers coerced Alaska Natives to hunt sea otters and other marine mammals for their pelts, while missionaries baptized an estimated 18,000 Alaska Natives, said Ian Hartman, a University of Alaska Anchorage history professor.
By 1867, after the otters were nearly extinct and Russia was financially weakened by the Crimean War, Czar Alexander II sold Alaska to the US for $7.2 million. The purchase, initially criticized as “Seward’s Folly,” gained attention after gold was discovered in 1896.
World War II and Cold War significance
During World War II, Japanese forces occupied Attu Island in the Aleutians, leading to what became known as the war’s “forgotten battle” in 1943. During the Cold War, US military leaders feared Soviet attacks over the North Pole and built radar systems and missile defenses across Alaska. Much of the state’s infrastructure, including roads and communities, was constructed during this period.
The Pentagon has continued to invest in Alaska’s defense, sending about 130 soldiers to a remote Aleutian island last year amid increased Russian military activity.
Alaska as a summit venue
Other world leaders have visited Alaska, including Japanese Emperor Hirohito in 1971, President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II in 1984, President Barack Obama in 2015, and Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2017.
Some critics say Alaska is a poor choice for the Trump-Putin meeting. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Anchorage and Juneau suspended long-standing sister city relationships with Russian cities. “It’s easy to imagine Putin making the argument during his meetings with Trump that, ‘Well, look, territories can change hands,’” said Nigel Gould-Davies, former British Ambassador to Belarus.
The summit highlights Alaska’s history as a site of international contestation, from Russian colonization to Cold War defenses, and its continued role in global diplomacy.
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