The Russian Orthodox Church founded this cathedral in Kodiak, Alaska, in 1794, long before the United States bought Alaska from Russia.

Why Alaska? After all, the state known as the Last Frontier isn't exactly a typical hotbed of international diplomacy. But that's where President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have mutually agreed to meet Aug. 15.

The meeting will take place on the grounds of Anchorage's sprawling Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, which lacks the gold-covered facilities both men are so fond of. The base is thousands of miles from both the White House and the Kremlin, and it sits on land that once belonged to Russia.

But Alaska itself is preparing to play an increasing role on the world stage as climate change opens up new shipping routes close to the North Pole as Russia, China and the United States contest the polar seas for dominance.

Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican, said in a statement that picking Alaska was natural: His home state is "the most strategic place in the world."

The United States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 under what was dubbed "Seward's Folly" by the then-Interior secretary William Seward, who persuaded Congress to pony up the equivalent of $160 million in today's dollars.

Trump has visited Alaska several times as president, pushed for expanded oil, gas and mining permits there, and even got funding for new polar icebreakers, a popular stance in a state he won with 54% of the vote in 2024.

The face-to-face meeting between the men was billed as a "listening exercise" by the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

"The goal of this meeting for the president is to walk away with a better understanding of how we can end this war," Leavitt told reporters during an Aug. 12 news briefing.

Safe space for Putin

Historians and political scientists say the location offers a surprising variety of benefits, chief among them the fact that no one is likely to try arrest Putin there.

The two men are meeting as part of Trump's efforts to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which prompted the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Putin after indicting him for war crimes.

"I don't think it's a good time for him to go to Europe," former Alaska Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell said of Putin.

In addition to the arrest warrant, the Russian strongman might have trouble flying over Europe and Canada, both of which have closed their airspace to Russian aircraft. The United States has done the same, but Trump is apparently waiving that Biden-era ban for Putin's visit. Trump's flight from Washington, DC, will take about seven hours.

Some experts have also criticized Trump's decision to host Putin on U.S. soil ‒ no matter how far it is from the White House ‒ because it legitimizes the Russian leader. Putin last year received 87% of the votes cast in the Russian presidential election, a statistic one elections expert likened to the "sham" elections held in African dictatorships.

Closer than most people realize

Because Russia and Alaska are separated only by a narrow stretch of the Bering Sea ‒ yes, there are places where you can really see Russia from your American house ‒ the logistics of getting both men there are relatively simple, Russian presidential assistant Yuri Ushakov told the BBC.

The closest distance between the two countries are the tiny islands of Little and Big Diomede.

Little Diomede is American, while Big Diomede is Russian, although families have long been split between the two, a reflection of Russia's former ownership of Alaska. The two islands are just three miles apart. The two mainlands themselves are only 55 miles apart where Alaska's Seward Peninsula and Russia's Chukotka Peninsula sit on opposite sides of the Bering Sea.

The National Park Service's Bering Land Bridge National Preserve exists in part to highlight how the two peninsulas were once connected, allowing ancient peoples to migrate from the Eurasian landmass east into North America.

"It seems quite logical for our delegation simply to fly over the Bering Strait and for such an important and anticipated summit of the leaders of the two countries to be held in Alaska," Ushakov said.

Because Alaska was once part of Russia, some cultural ties also remain: There are about 80 Russian Orthodox churches and chapels still standing across Alaska, many of them on the state's western islands and peninsulas close to the Bering Sea. The first Russian Orthodox Church was established in on Kodiak Island in 1794, and Holy Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral still holds services there.

During the Cold War, the threat of Soviet invasion from the west prompted heavy defense investment in missile-warning systems in Alaska, along with marine and air patrols that continue to this day. The base where Putin and Trump are meeting is home to fighter aircraft like the F-22 Raptor, which is used to intercept Russian military planes as they fly close to the border.

Russian invasion pushed Ukrainians to Alaska

While there has long been a Russian community in Alaska, several hundred Ukranian refugees have also moved there under federal humanitarian programs following Russia's 2022 invasion. Trump put that program on indefinite hold upon taking office.

Trump is meeting with Putin without Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a move that has concerned some European leaders who have pledged their unconditional support in his country's efforts to repel Russia.

European leaders have expressed concern that Trump would pressure Ukraine to make too many concessions to Putin. But Treadwell said he believes everyone can agree that ending the war should be a top priority, and if this meeting in Alaska is what it takes, it's worth it.

"There are a lot of former Russians who live in Alaska and a lot of former Ukranians who live in Alaska," he said. "If this leads to peace, I think we'd all be very happy."

Alaska has long been a stopover for diplomatic missions

In addition to its strategic military importance, Anchorage is a familiar stopover for diplomatic missions traveling between Europe and Asia.

  • In 1971, President Richard Nixon met with the Emperor of Japan on the tarmac in Anchorage as Hirohito traveled to Europe for meetings. It was the first time a reigning Japanse monarch had stepped foot on foreign soil, Nixon said, according to his presidential library. Nixon also noted their meeting took place approximately equidistant from the White House as to Tokyo.
  • Pope John Paul II stopped in Anchorage in 1981 on his way back to Rome from Japan, touring the city and meeting with the faithful. He also met with President Ronald Reagan in Fairbanks in 1984.
  • In 2021, then-Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with his Chinese counterparts for several days of trade talks held at a hotel that was considered the midpoint between the two country's capitals.

Trump-Putin meeting comes during Alaska's busiest season

While the White House has not discussed the reason for having the meeting on the military base, one factor may have played a key role: This is Alaska's tourist season and every place else is booked solid.

More than 2 million tourists visit Alaska annually, the vast majority of them traveling via cruise ships and the historic Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Denali National Park, according to state statistics.

Trump early on in his administration named Denali back to its former name of Mount McKinley, which President Barack Obama had renamed to honor Alaska Native people. Trump said he was changing the name back to honor the tariff-loving former President William McKinley, who was also responsible for adding Hawaii, Guam and several other territories to the United States.

Federal officials have warned that passenger and cargo flights to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport may be affected by temporary flight restrictions during the Trump-Putin meeting on Aug. 15 and early Aug. 16.

August is the airport's second-busiest month behind July, according to airport officials. The flight restrictions will also impact the adjacent Lake Hood Seaplane Base, the world's busiest seaplane base.

Although many other presidents have taken their counterparts on sighteeing trips, or used state visits to do their own tourism, there's little indication Trump and Putin will be taking the time to go fishing or land on a glacier. Intead, Trump said he expects to know "probably in the first two minutes," whether he can reach a deal with Putin.

Treadwell, who was the state's lieutenant governor from 2010-2014, said there could be another reason for Trump to agree to meet at JBER: the sprawling 36-hole Moose Run Golf Course. Along with sand traps and water hazards, he said, players there must periodically avoid moose and bears.

"In the summer here, you can play golf until almost midnight, but I doubt he'll have time for that," he said. "I think people of all political stripes hope this meeting will produce peace."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Trump-Putin meeting being held in Alaska? It's the 'most strategic place.'

Reporting by Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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