Vladimir Putin traveled to Alaska aboard the ‘flying Kremlin’ (Image: Getty)
The heads of two of the globe’s most influential nations have touched down in Alaska for discussions. Vladimir Putin landed in Anchorage to meet with Donald Trump, with their conference scheduled for Elmendorf-Richardson Air Force Base.
While they have encountered each other multiple times previously, this marks their first meeting on American territory. The Russian and American presidents will convene in the northernmost part of the US, where their countries nearly meet. Their previous face-to-face was at the G20 gathering in Osaka in 2019, during Mr Trump’s initial presidency.
It has been a full decade since Mr Putin last stepped onto US ground, and the Russian leader arrived via his Il-96-300PU – dubbed the “Flying Kremlin” – where he travels as “Passenger Number One.”
Putin flying in his presidential aircraft (Image: East2West)
Featuring a wider wingspan than Air Force One but 50ft more compact and considerably slower, the aircraft reportedly matches its American equivalent in opulence.
Both presidents could theoretically authorize a nuclear attack from their aerial command centers. Trump’s Boeing, nevertheless, is designed for endurance, capable of mid-flight refueling and staying airborne for prolonged durations.
Putin boasts the capability to communicate securely with anyone globally while in flight, and the five-to-six-hour journeys from Washington and Moscow put both leaders on comparable schedules.
Putin can launch a nuclear attack from the plane (Image: East2West)
The Kremlin strongman has previously taunted Trump by observing that Alaska once belonged to the Russian tsars, and suggesting, not completely in humor, that it might once more. The US air force base sits just 630 miles from Russian soil – the stark, forbidding Chukotka region, where former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich once served as governor.
A mere 2.4 miles and the International Date Line separate Russia’s Big Diomede Island from America’s Little Diomede Island across the Bering Strait.
Upon arriving on Alaskan ground, Vladimir Putin will travel in an Aurus Senat L700, the Russian-manufactured limousine powered by a Porsche engine, reportedly flown into Anchorage beforehand. Stretching 6.6 meters, it exceeds the length of Donald Trump’s Cadillac Presidential State Car – “The Beast” – and runs significantly faster, reaching 120mph compared to the American vehicle’s 70mph limit.
Trump’s armored giant, nevertheless, carries more weight, moves slower and, according to many experts, provides superior protection against direct attacks.
The summit is set to commence at 8.30 pm London time on Friday, near a graveyard where nine Soviet aviators rest from the era when Washington and Moscow stood as wartime partners.
Security considerations determined Alaska’s selection over pro-Russian Hungary, where flight permissions for Putin would have been complicated by his International Criminal Court arrest warrant regarding the alleged kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
Footage showed the luxurious aircraft (Image: East2West)
Elmendorf-Richardson Air Force Base, the chosen meeting location, provides a runway suitable for both Air Force One and Putin’s “Flying Kremlin.” “It will be guarded like no other place on the planet,” a Russian source remarked regarding the security of a base typically tasked with defending the West from Moscow’s military might.
This base has also been the site of significant diplomatic events, such as Richard Nixon’s 1971 meeting with Emperor Hirohito. Anchorage airspace is currently under tight restrictions. Early Thursday, the first in a series of Russian government planes left Moscow via the polar route, sparking rumors that President Putin might be on board.
The Kremlin leader is en route to Alaska, accompanied by his defense minister, Andrei Belousov, and foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. The delegation includes state media loyalists who had to secure US visas, which have been notoriously difficult for Russians to obtain in recent years.
RT correspondent Konstantin Pridybailo was denied entry, but others, including staunchly pro-Kremlin journalist Alexander Yunashev, managed to get through. Yunashev shared his experience: “Got a visa for a trip to Alaska. Everything was happening so fast that I had to take the [visa] photo myself in the kitchen on the night from Sunday to Monday.”
He continued, detailing his tense embassy interview: “After the embassy interview, I had pins and needles – my visa to [North Korea] caught their interest, and they asked about the purpose of the visit, work-related, of course. Knowing the complicated relations between Washington and Pyongyang, I was already prepared for a refusal.”
Unverified reports imply that Kremlin propagandists have been directed not to challenge any concessions Putin might offer to Trump regarding Ukraine, indicating the president’s dominance over the domestic narrative. Washington has temporarily relaxed certain sanctions to facilitate the summit.
In the run-up to the meeting, Russian state television has been flooded with footage of Putin in high-level briefings, widely assumed to have been pre-recorded to portray a sense of relentless activity while the president maintained a low profile.
Notably, he skipped a visit to earthquake-hit Kamchatka despite its close proximity, less than four hours from Anchorage, amidst a series of aftershocks following the July 30 quake that sparked tsunamis.
