It was a welcome tailored for a close friend, not a war criminal, and it looked to the Ukrainians like their nightmare.

Trump has visited Alaska several times as president, pushed for expanded oil, gas and mining permits there, and even got funding for new polar icebreakers, a popular stance in a state he won with 54% of the vote in 2024.

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage,