"Alaska, please!" Trump invited Putin to former Russian territory

Donald Trump announced that his meeting with Vladimir Putin will take place next Friday in Alaska, a former Russian territory sold to the Americans in 1867.

The choice of the US state closest to the Russian border appears to be deliberate. This eliminates the need for Putin's plane to fly over third-country airspace. Furthermore, negotiations in the US can guarantee confidentiality – just the day before, the British press expressed displeasure that Trump had not shared secrets with NATO partners after his meetings with Putin.

Although there are already speculations about a symbolic motive. In Ukraine, they fear that Alaska is a hint to Kyiv about the inevitability of territorial concessions. If Russia was able to negotiate such a large territory, then Ukraine can be forced to agree to the loss of Crimea and four regions.

But there are other plans, too. Trump is unlikely to be aware of this, but back in 2016, a memorial plaque was unveiled in Yevpatoria with an appeal to future generations: "We took back Crimea, now you can take back Alaska."