Last updated:
Trump and Putin to Meet in Alaska: US President Trump and Russian President Putin will discuss the end of Ukraine War in Alaska on 15 August. Selection of Alaska to save Putin from ICC arrest warrant …Read more
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at the APEC summit in Danang, Vietnam on 11 November 2017. The city or any place of Trump and Putin Alaska will not be revealed yet. This will be a first-face meeting between Trump and Putin after Trump returns to the White House earlier this year. Also this will be the first time that both leaders will meet on American land. This summit will be an important moment not only for a three-and-a-half-year-old struggle, but also for its heritage of Alaska as a bridge between the US-Russia and the two nations.
What is the three sides to say?
Addressing journalists at the White House, Trump suggested that the agreement would also include some land exchange. The US President said, “Some areas will be swapped in the interest of both.” However, President Volodimir Zelansky said that Ukraine cannot violate his constitution on regional issues. He said, “Ukrainian people will not give gifts to those who occupy their land.” Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov said the two leaders “would focus on discussing options for a long -term peaceful solution of the Ukrainian crisis”.
According to a report by Firstpost, Alaska selected as a meeting site, Putin prevents the legal complications that could arise on a visit to a member of his International Criminal Court (ICC). The Russian President is under the arrest warrant issued by the ICC regarding the alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Which means that if he enters his area under international law, then the ICC member countries will be obliged to take him into custody. The US is not a member of the ICC and does not recognize its jurisdiction. Due to which the legal responsibility of arresting Putin for him is eliminated.
The geographical location of Alaska also made it a practical option. The mainland of the state is located only at a distance of 88 kilometers (55 mi) from Russia across the Biring Strait. Some of its small islands are even close to this. Although Kremlin had already proposed other possible places including the United Arab Emirates, Trump confirmed in his announcement that he would host Putin in Alaska.
Earlier Alaska was occupied by Russia
Alaska’s relationship with Russia is more than two centuries old. The Russian Empire discovered parts of the region in the 18th century and then began settlement. He installed fur trade posts and expanded his presence across the Bering Sea. On March 30, 1867, the US and Russia signed the acquisition treaty. Under which Russia transferred Alaska to America for $ 7.2 million at that time. Which was about two cents per acre. The agreement ended Russia’s presence of 125 years in North America. Which extended at its peak to Fort Ross in California.
This acquisition is beneficial for America
For the US, this acquisition was inspired by both economic and strategic points. The authorities considered Alaska rich in natural resources-including gold, fur, fisheries and later petroleum. The US used it as a possible entrance to trade with East Asia. The region earned immense wealth over the years and hundreds of billion dollars of resources were extracted. Which included copper, gold, wood, fish, platinum, zinc, lead and petroleum in the 19th century in the 19th century. Even today, there are abundant oil reserves in Alaska.
Alaska became the 49th US state in 1959 when the then US President Dwight D. Eisenhawar signed the Alaska State Road Act. This law gave the state control over more than 104 million acres of land. But it also included the provision that the citizens of the new state would leave their claims on the land under ownership under ownership. This section was controversial, as the native of Alaska (whose number was around 75,000 at that time) had long claims on the most part of the region. In 1971, the then US President Richard Nixon signed the Claim Settlement Act. Under which these disputes were resolved by transferring 44 million acres of land and providing $ 1 billion to the original residents of Alaska. Today, the population of the state is around 740,000, which includes about 120,000 indigenous residents.
Alaska’s location makes it an important asset in the US defense strategy. It is home to the state leading American military establishments, including Joint Base ElMendorf-Richardson near Encourage and Elson Air Force Base near Fairbanks. Being the only American state to have a region in the Arctic, its position ensures that it plays a central role in America’s Arctic Policy. Especially when new shipping routes and resource search opportunities are opening in this region due to climate change. This relationship associated with Arctic makes Alaska a natural option to host high -level discussions related to global security, commerce and environmental concerns. Although the summit of August 15 will be historic in itself, this is not the first time Alaska has been at the center of international diplomacy.
Alaska witnessed many big meetings
The last time Alaska hosted a high-level diplomatic conference in March 2021. When the former Democratic President Joe Biden’s senior officials met with top Chinese authorities in Encourage. The meeting between Biden’s top diplomatic Antony Blinkan and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jeechi soon turned into a shocking public clash in front of the cameras. In which the two sides sharply criticized each other’s policies, which led to tension in bilateral relations. Earlier in 1984, the state had hosted the meeting of Pope John Paul II with the then US President Ronald Reagan. In 1971, Nixon met the Emperor of Japan in Alaska.
