Alaska's High-Stakes Handshake

Experts Decode the Summit: Minerals, Sanctions Relief, and the Erosion of American Norms

As President Donald Trump prepares for a high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) in Anchorage on Friday, the White House is downplaying expectations, describing the meeting as an "exercise in listening" with no major breakthroughs anticipated. But Trump escalated rhetoric on August 13, warning of "very severe consequences" if Putin refuses to end the Ukraine war, as critics warn the encounter could expose U.S. vulnerabilities, from potential blackmail tied to Jeffrey Epstein's shadowy legacy to domestic upheavals fueled by military deployments and economic strains. The Treasury Department issued a special license on August 13 allowing Putin's arrival, highlighting exemptions for the talks amid broader sanctions on Russia.

The choice of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a U.S. military outpost in this former Russian territory sold to America in 1867 for $7.2 million, adds symbolic weight to discussions laden with military overtones. Putin, unhindered by his International Criminal Court warrant for war crimes as the U.S. is not a signatory, demands recognition of annexed Ukrainian lands, demilitarization of Kyiv and a veto on its NATO ambitions. Trump has floated "land swapping" ideas, but details remain scarce, prompting fears of legitimizing Russian gains. A Kremlin source told state media Moscow views the talks as unnecessary: "We don't need this meeting—Trump does," amid protests planned by groups like Stand Up Alaska in Anchorage's Midtown on Thursday and Friday.

Trump's virtual huddle Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO leaders from France, Germany and Poland was deemed "productive," but Zelenskyy stressed peace cannot be brokered "over our heads." Analysts like Puck News reporter Julia Ioffe, in a recent Substack discussion with Katie Couric, predict little progress, with Russians seeing Trump as a "useful idiot" eager for a Nobel Peace Prize while Putin exploits U.S. divisions. Ioffe noted the shift to non-expert diplomacy: "That's the goal... throw it all overboard and try something new."

The summit unfolds amid domestic controversies amplifying Trump's "America First" governance.