Putin-Trump meeting: why Alaska became the venue for the summit
FILE PHOTO: Russia's President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan June 28, 2019. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo
On August 15, US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska. The American state is not exactly convenient for holding a summit, but there are a number of factors that influenced the choice.
This was reported by The Guardian.
According to Putin’s advisor Yuri Ushakov, the choice of location for the summit is “quite logical,” as it only requires crossing the Bering Strait, and the distance between the United States and Russia is about 90 kilometers.
However, to get to Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, Putin will have to spend nine hours traveling, while Trump will have to spend eight.
“Alaska is a place of mutual inconvenience, which suggests that other factors are at work,” the article says.
First of all, the region’s remoteness from Ukraine and Europe is emphasized, so during the meeting they will be pushed to the background. Despite the fact that Trump is theoretically ready to allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to participate in the summit, Putin will be against it.
Additionally, Alaska is a safe haven for the Russian leader, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for deporting Ukrainian children to Russia, but neither Washington nor Moscow recognizes the ICC. There are also no “unfriendly countries” through which Putin would have to fly.
At the same time, it is noted that US-Russia and US-USSR summits have often been held in cold regions. In particular, it highlights the meetings in Helsinki in 2018, Reykjavik in 1989, and Birmingham and Shropshire in 1998.
“The Alaska meeting is only the fourth US-Russian summit since 2010, and while it remains possible that the talks will lead to a ceasefire in Ukraine, there is little reason for optimism,” the journalists concluded.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump informed European leaders of his intention to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin , and later to organize a trilateral meeting with the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
By the way, a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is scheduled for the end of next week .
As is known, on the eve of the meeting between Putin and Trump, the head of European diplomacy, Kaia Kallas, announced a meeting of foreign ministers of EU countries , in particular, officials will discuss further steps regarding Ukraine.
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