00:00Is Russia really contesting US sovereignty over Alaska?
00:07Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are meeting on Friday in Alaska,
00:11where US and Russian territories practically touch.
00:14But the choice of venue is both practical and symbolic.
00:18The US state was once a Russian colony.
00:21In 1867, Alaska was sold by Russia to the US 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 US 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
00:59that the US president could 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 US 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 US.
