Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov said Alaska was a “logical meeting place” because the United States and Russia are close neighbors across the Bering Strait and allegedly share “common economic interests” in Alaska and the Arctic region.

Moscow warns of efforts to derail Trump–Putin Alaska summit as Ukraine fears ‘peace on paper’ territorial trade-offs.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in the coming days, the Kremlin said on Thursday, as the U.S. president seeks a breakthrough to end the Ukraine war after voicing mounting frustration with his Russian counterpart and threatening him with new sanctions.