Trump-Putin talks: Is Russia really contesting US sovereignty over Alaska?

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Trump-Putin talks: Is Russia really contesting US sovereignty over Alaska?  As the Russian and US presidents prepare to meet in the Alaskan capital, speculation that Vladimir Putin rejects the legitimacy of Russia’s 1867 sale of Alaska to the US has resurfaced online.  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/08/14/trump-putin-talks-is-russia-really-contesting-us-sovereignty-over-alaska  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00Is Russia really contesting U.S. sovereignty over Alaska?

00:07Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are meeting on Friday in Alaska,

00:11where U.S. and Russian territories practically touch.

00:14But the choice of venue is both practical and symbolic.

00:18The U.S. state was once a Russian colony.

00:21In 1867, Alaska was sold by Russia to the U.S. for $7.2 million,

00:27so that Moscow could pay off debts accrued during the Crimean War.

00:32Alaska was not considered economically critical for the Kremlin

00:34and was also seen as an extremely remote part of Russia's territory.

00:39Today, it is the largest U.S. state.

00:42Since the confirmation that Friday's Putin-Trump meetup will take place in Alaska,

00:46leading Kremlin officials have referenced Russia's historical claims to the territory.

00:52This Kremlin envoy also shared photographs of Russian Orthodox churches in the territory.

00:57Social media users have also been speculating that the U.S. president

01:01could be forced to hand back the territory to Putin.

01:04Speculation fueled by Trump appearing to confuse Alaska for Russia.

01:09You know, I'm going to see Putin. I'm going to Russia on Friday.

01:13Some social media users have also claimed a 2022 ruling from the Russian Supreme Court

01:18nullified the sale of Alaska to the U.S. in 1867.

01:23But we weren't able to identify any official court documents corroborating this claim.

01:28Other users claim Putin declared the sale of Alaska illegal in a January 2024 decree.

01:35The decree does exist.

01:37It relates to the protection of Russia's historic overseas assets.

01:41While some analysts say the Kremlin could use the decree to reopen historical territorial disputes,

01:46it makes no specific reference to Alaska or its 1867 sale to the U.S.

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