The stage is set in Anchorage for today’s high-stakes summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with both leaders now en route to Alaska. Here are some news nuggets from the past few hours:
- Monica Crowley, Chief of Protocol of the United States since May 2025 in the second Trump administration, is aboard Air Force One traveling with the president and his team as they headed north for the meeting.
- Putin, meanwhile, made a final refueling stop in Magadan, a Russian city on the Sea of Okhotsk in the country’s far east. There, he toured a local factory, met young hockey players, and laid flowers at a memorial honoring U.S.-Soviet cooperation during World War II. Magadan has been a sister city of Anchorage since 1991. In 2023, the Anchorage Assembly voted to suspend the sister city relationship due to the Russian government’s actions in Ukraine.
- Reports say Trump plans to greet Putin on the tarmac when the Russian leader’s aircraft touches down in Anchorage around 11 am local time. That report comes from British news sources. It has not been reported where Putin’s plane will land, but it is likely to land at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and be positioned in the South Park area.
- Trump was asked about a “land swap” concept, where Ukraine and Russia could exchange territory as part of a peace compromise. Trump said, “I’d have to let Ukraine decide.” Russia currently occupies nearly 114,500 square kilometers, about 19% of Ukraine, according to open-source battlefield maps, including Crimea and swaths of eastern and southeastern territory. Ukraine President Zelenskyy insists Ukraine will never recognize Russian control over its land; most nations recognize its 1991 borders.
- The Russian delegation has brought both symbolism and political trolling to Anchorage. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Anchorage wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with “CCCP,” the acronym for the Soviet Union, a gesture widely interpreted as a jab at the United States. Lavrov wore the shirt in public and conducted media interviews in it ahead of today’s talks.
- Some Russian journalists in Anchorage are staying in makeshift quarters inside the lobby of the Alaska Airlines Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Instead of hotel rooms, they have been given small cots — two per cubicle and their room walls are curtains. Meanwhile, the Lakefront Anchorage Hotel is reported to be packed with Russian officials and staff.
- Among other sightings: Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s press secretary, was spotted dining at Jens’ Restaurant in Midtown Anchorage. And five members of the Russian entourage were seen at a Walmart purchasing vodka, Johnnie Walker Black, and Heineken.
With hours to go before the summit, we’ll provide more updates throughout the day at Must Read Alaska.