ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – When U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska on Friday, it will be the latest chapter in the 49th state’s long history with Russia – and with international tensions. An update from reporter Bernie Bennett. VERBATIM: Siberian fur traders arrived from across the Bering Sea in […]
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Alaska’s History of Summits
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – When U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska on Friday, it will be the latest chapter in the 49th state’s long history with Russia – and with international tensions. An update from reporter Bernie Bennett.
VERBATIM:
Siberian fur traders arrived from across the Bering Sea in the first part of the 18th century, and the imprint of Russian settlement in Alaska remains.
The oldest building in Anchorage is a Russian Orthodox church, and many Alaska Natives have Russian surnames. But Alaska has been U.S. territory since 1867. Some observers say it is a bad choice for a summit on the Russia-Ukraine war because it sends a message that territory can change hands.
Bernie Bennett reporting.