Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet on Friday at the remote Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a US military installation in Anchorage, Alaska.
Elmendorf-Richardson combines the Air Force’s Elmendorf base and the US Army’s Fort Richardson.
It is Alaska’s largest military base and is home to more than 32,000 people – about 10% of Anchorage’s population.
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US paratroopers during a training session at the base
The area is also significant for Russia: the US purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire 158 years ago.
In fact, Alaska’s Little Diomede Island is less than three miles from Russia’s Big Diomede Island in the Bering Strait, showing how geographically close the two countries are.
During the Cold War, the base was regarded as “particularly important” in defending the US against the then-Soviet Union, according to the Library of Congress.
Despite this proximity, Putin will be the first Russian president to visit Anchorage.
Paratroopers in the sky above the facility
Some have criticised the US president’s decision to hold talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Alaska.
“It’s easy to imagine Putin making the argument during his meetings with Trump that, ‘Well, look, territories can change hands,'” said Nigel Gould-Davies, former British ambassador to Belarus.
“‘We gave you Alaska. Why can’t Ukraine give us a part of its territory?'”
Although this will be Trump’s first trip to Alaska since beginning his second term, he made several visits to Elmendorf-Richardson during his first term.
Joe Biden visited the base to mark the anniversary of 9/11 in 2023
Joe Biden and Barack Obama also visited; in 2015, Obama became the first US president to set foot north of the Arctic Circle during his trip.
Elmendorf-Richardson hosts aircraft like the F-22 Raptor – a fighter jet the Air Force says “cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft”.
Air Force One, touched down on site during Biden’s last visit
The US defence department describes the area as having “picturesque, majestic, snow-capped mountains, lakes, rivers, glaciers, and plenty of wildlife”.
It also advises visitors attempting to drive to the base to bring emergency kits, food, blankets and extra fuel, as it is so remote.