ALASKA: A source of Russian imperial nostalgia

Moscow, Russia --- Alaska, the US state that will host the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on Friday, is a source of imperial nostalgia and often less-than-serious territorial claims in Russia.

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The territory that Russia sold to the United States in 1867 is now a symbol of the entwined history of the countries, whose relations have been severely damaged since Russia launched its offensive in Ukraine in 2022.

To some experts, the summit in Alaska evoked memories of the thaw between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War.

“It’s a classically orchestrated summit, like in the era of detente,” Russian political scientist Fyodor Lukyanov said on Telegram.

“Its symbolic significance is the absence of intermediaries: the powers, so to speak, decide for themselves,” he added, saying that China is “not close” to Alaska and that Europe is “as far away as possible.”

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