As former Russian territory sold to the United States in 1867, Alaska carries a symbolic weight — a bridge between two nations linked by history and the Arctic, even as they stand on opposite sides of a war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's likely route to the U.S. this week is a short one: just 55 miles across the Bering Strait from Chukotka to Alaska. The path avoids third-party countries and contested airspace and would be coordinated with U.S. authorities for security.

Putin is expected to arrive at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, outside Anchorage, home to the Alaskan NORAD Region headquarters, which monitors and defends U.S. airspace in the north.

Alaska is America's front line in the Arctic, home to nine major military bases and central to U.S. defense strategy in a region whe

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