Trump planning Kim Jong Un-style summit with Putin: Will he 'walk' into Russia? Here's what we know

Addressing a press conference on Monday (Aug 11), United States President Donald Trump said that he will be going to Russia to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. His gaffe was quickly picked up on social media, with netizens reminding him that the US bought Alaska from Russia 150 years ago. However, there are some who suggested that Trump might not be making a mistake and his statement might be his intention. While Trump has been saying since his campaign days that he would end the Russia-Ukraine war, he has not been able to do it so far. Now, the POTUS would not want to let go of this opportunity to meet the Russian president and bank on the meeting to beat his trumpet like he did when he secured the Singapore Summit with the North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un in 2019.

Back in 2019, Trump met North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un. It was then that Kim invited Trump to cross the border line, and Trump briefly crossed into North Korea, shook hands with Kim, and both leaders patted each other's backs. With this, Trump became the first sitting US president to cross into North Korea. Trump and Kim also signed a joint statement, titled "Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the Singapore Summit", which Trump described as a "very important" and "comprehensive" agreement.

If Trump is planning any such photo-op with the Russian counterpart, it might not be possible, as the Bering Strait separates Alaska from Russia, and there are no man-made borders between Russia and Alaska like South Korea and North Korea. Russia's Big Diomede Island is just 3.8 kilometres away from Little Diomede Island of the USA. However, by choosing Alaska as a venue, the White House has already hinted at a symbolism, and Trump might take it forward, with Alaska's roots in Russia and the cultural influence of Moscow in the State. Moreover, the Kremlin has already invited Trump to visit Russia, and if a photo-op is what Trump wants, he might as well choose Moscow as his next destination.

Alaska was once a part of Russia

The United States bought Alaska from Russia 150 years ago. The story begins when Danish explorer Vitus Bering discovered Alaska accidentally during the exploration of the Bering Strait. He was on an expedition for Tsarist Russia. According to AFP, in 1799, Tsar Paul I established the Russian-American Company to take advantage of the lucrative fur trade. However, the indigenous people were targeted, and the seals and sea otters were overexploited. As the economy went down, the Russian Empire decided to let go of Alaska. In 1867, the Russian Empire sold the territory to Washington for $7.2. At that time, the purchase was criticised and termed as 'Seward's folly' after the deal's mastermind, William Seward.

However, the Russian influence in the area stayed, as the Russian Orthodox Church was already established in Alaska. Famously stated by former Alaska governor Sarah Palin in 2008 - "You can see Russia from land here in Alaska." While it is not possible to see Russia from the Alaskan mainland, two islands facing each other in the Bering Strait are separated by just 2.5 miles. However, Russia does not have any plan to reclaim Alaska, with Putin saying in 2014 that Alaska is “too cold.”

Trump-Putin meeting

It was confirmed on Friday (Aug 8) that Trump will meet with Putin on August 15 to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Both the Kremlin and the White House confirmed the summit. Trump suggested that the peace deal would include some exchange of land between Moscow and Kyiv, a claim that Ukrainian PM Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected. The US had proposed a tri-party meeting between Putin, Trump and Zelensky, but Putin expressed his reservations about the same. Trump has now said that he would know withing two minutes of the meeting with Putin if he is interested in ending the Russia-Ukraine war. This will be the first in-person summit between Trump and Putin after they last held the Helsinki Summit in 2018 in Finland. They met briefly at the 2019 G20 Summit in Osaka, but no formal summit was held.