A rich environment for memes

It wouldn't be the first time a world leader has visited Anchorage. In 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the city, stopping in Alaska for a meal after meeting with Trump in Florida. He sampled crab soup.

However, Anchorage reporter Matt Acuña Buxton told The Guardian that there was"widespread" dissatisfaction among residents about the Russian president, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), visiting the city.

According to the journalist, Alaskans realize that Putin is not really their friend.

However, locals were also disappointed by the Trump administration's announcement that the summit would be held at a US military base because it was not an Alaskan enough location.

For example, 49 percent of people in the survey suggested that the pair meet at the home of Sarah Palin, the former Republican governor of Alaska.

American media, in turn, suggested that Trump and Putin go hiking on Flattop Mountain – a typical date spot around Anchorage.

The situation has created a"meme-rich environment," says news website owner Jeff Landfield.

But Acuña Buxton says the satire offers Alaskans a way to cope with a “dystopian” scenario in which Trump hands over Alaskan territory to Putin. Russia sold Alaska to the United States in 1867 for $7.2 million, which would be worth about $150 million today.

Trading in territories

Alaska also has the advantage of being sparsely populated, with only 730,000 residents, meaning fewer safety concerns than most cities in the continental US.

In another American city, for example, in addition to possible assassination attempts, there would be a risk that millions of Americans would protest against the pair meeting.

Flights to Alaska are among the most expensive in the United States, and with only a week's notice, it's hard to find affordable tickets. Americans are forced to travel thousands of miles across Canada if they want to.

However, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports that protesters with Ukrainian flags are already gradually gathering along the roads in Anchorage.

However, Courtney expects that Putin's move was arranged in such a way that the Russian president avoided any signs of protests.

According to Professor Matthew Schmidt, Alaska signals a subtle but significant victory for Putin because it symbolizes the ease with which powers can trade territory and ignore local residents.

Russian media is also highlighting the decision to hold the summit on a site that once belonged to Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also caused a stir when he appeared in Alaska wearing a sweater with the letters"CCCP" - the Russian term for the USSR.

Alaska is also still home to approximately 80 Russian Christian Orthodox communities, including the Old Believers sect, which was brought to the territory by Russians fleeing repression over the years.

But let's not forget the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for the Russian president, which makes it impossible to hold the summit in a third country. The 125 member states of the ICC are obligated to arrest Putin if he enters their territory. However, the United States is not a signatory to the court.

A meeting of key world figures was also held in Bratislava in 2005, where former US President George Bush met with the Russian president. In a private conversation, they probably discussed, for example, the conflict between Israel and Palestine and the North Korean nuclear program.

The tangible proximity of Russia

Locals usually refer to the rest of the US as the"lower 48" - Alaska and Hawaii are geographically separated from the United States, which causes significant differences in terms of culture and economy, for example.

At the same time, residents see themselves more as"independent" observers with their own minds, according to care home operator Colleen Heaney-Mead.

“We don’t want to be part of what’s going on there,” she told The Guardian. “We don’t have to do everything they do.”

She also addressed the 1867 trade between the US and Russia, while also mentioning a satire circulating among Alaskans:"Please don't sell us back," they are telling the Trump administration, according to Heaney-Mead.

Anchorage is currently experiencing one of the last weekends of summer, according to locals, which embodies the peak of salmon fishing and the middle of berry picking season.

"I'm looking forward to taking a boat trip in Prince William Sound. That's my plan," Andy Moderow, a staff member at the nonprofit, told The Guardian.

However, Russia is not just an abstract enemy, but also a close neighbor - Russian aircraft use Alaskan airspace, while the Russian government undermines the work of Alaskan fishermen, writes The Guardian.

Russian aircraft still regularly survey the border, with the last such incursion taking place on July 22, the fifth in 2025, Radio Liberty reports.

Moderow, who grew up during the Cold War, still vividly remembers the nuclear exercises of the 20th century. “If you grew up in Alaska, you’re aware of the proximity of Russia,” he adds.

"People here don't like Putin," Landfield adds, adding that the resentment isn't directed at Russians themselves."I don't think Russia is our enemy."

Putin is truly unpopular in the United States, as shown by a June Pew Research Center poll, in which 84 percent of Americans said they had little or no confidence that the Russian president would do the right thing in world affairs.

However, there is also a completely different kind of animosity among the people of Alaska, as residents hope that Friday's summit will not ruin their weekend, The Guardian reports.

"We had a pretty good summer. We camped, we hunted, we fished... But the end of the season is coming, so I've heard a few people say, 'I hope they don't f*ck my plans,'" Landfield adds.