Vladimir Putin arrives in Alaska today, August 15, for a high-profile summit with Donald Trump aimed at ending the war – but much of the attention is on whether the Russian president, an internationally wanted man, will be arrested when he lands on U.S. soil.
As Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin prepare for a high stakes meeting in Anchorage, Alaska on August 15, the U.S. president said he’s convinced that the Russian leader wants to “make a deal, according to NBC.
“He’s going to make a deal. I think he’s going to, and we’re going to find out,” said Trump, who on August 13, warned Moscow of “severe consequences” if Putin refuses to agree to end the war in Ukraine.
If the Trump-Putin summit proves successful, the president has indicated he hopes it will pave the way for a trilateral meeting that would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who insists the country “will not give their land to the occupier.”
First visit in a decade
The meeting will mark the first time Vladimir Putin has met with a U.S. president on American soil since his frosty meeting with former President Barack Obama in 2015. Reuters reports that the Alaska summit marks Putin’s eighth visit to the U.S. since first becoming president in 1999. He’s also five substantive meetings with Trump during his first term between 2017 and 2019 – but not on U.S. soil.
The U.S. and Russia have not held a summit since 2021 in Geneva – the year before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
Active arrest warrant
Beyond the details of the summit, people want to know if the Russian president will be handcuffed when his feet his American soil.
When Putin arrives in the U.S., he’ll be under an active arrest warrant, issued in 2023 over alleged war crimes, from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
While 125 countries – including the UK, France, Germany, and Canada – are members of the court and required to detain him, the United States is not.
Not a member of the ICC
Speaking with the Sun, weapons expert Hamish de Bretton-Gordon explained that the U.S. is among a small group of nations that do not recognize the authority of the ICC. Alongside Russia, China, Pakistan, and a handful of others, the U.S. does not adhere to the court’s framework – meaning the country “is not bound to arrest Putin.”
“He can roam around the world, in theory, in any countries that are not members of the ICC. A warrant from the ICC means nothing in those countries that are not signatories to it,” the British journalist said. “And the Americans aren’t, so – he can go to Alaska.
“That is the loophole. He can operate exactly how he sees fit.”
He added that Putin “wouldn’t have gone anywhere where potentially he could be arrested” and suggested “Trump will have given Putin some cast iron agreement he won’t be arrested for the criminal proceedings against him.”
Why Alaska works
According to de Bretton-Gordon, the location offers multiple advantages for the Russian leader.
“President Putin is absolutely fixated about his own security, and his desire not to wander out of friendly airspace. There’s not much of that to Alaska – [He] would only be in international airspace for a few miles.”
Plus, the state almost feels like home to Putin: Alaska was once Russian territory, sold to the United States in 1867 by Tsar Alexander II for $7.2 million – about two cents per acre. The trip marks a rare return of Russian power to the region.
First for the icy state
And republicans in the state are excited for Putin’s visit, sharing on social media that he is “welcome” in the “great state of Alaska.”
Excited for Putin’s visit, Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy posted on X: “Alaska is the most strategic location in the world…with a mere two miles separating Russia from Alaska, no other place plays a more vital role in our national defense, energy security, and Arctic leadership.” Dunleavy was referring to Alaska’s Little Diomede – a small, inhabited island in the Bering Strait – where people can see Big Diomede, land belonging to Russia, that’s only 2.4 miles away.
The governor’s post, shared August 8, continues, “It’s fitting that discussions of global importance take place here. For centuries, Alaska has been a bridge between nations, and today, we remain a gateway for diplomacy, commerce, and security in one of the most critical regions on earth. The world will be watching, and Alaska stands ready to host this historic meeting.”
Putin is expected to leave the Arctic state on his own aircraft, with the Kremlin confident he will face no legal repercussions while in the United States.
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