Russian influence in Alaska – the setting for the high-stakes meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin – still lingers in parts of the state the U.S. bought from Russia more than 150 years ago.
The region’s connection to Russia dates back centuries. In 1728, Danish explorer Vitus Bering led a Russian expedition that became the first to sail through the Bering Strait, opening the way for further Russian exploration and settlement.
By 1799, Tsar Paul I had established the Russian-American Company, a state-backed enterprise designed to exploit Alaska’s lucrative fur trade. This venture often led to tensions and conflicts with Indigenous communities across the territory.
In 1867, the Russian Empire sold Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million, a transaction that dramatically shifted control of the vast region.
Today, traces of Russian heritage remain visible. Approximately 80 active Russian Orthodox Churches operate across Alaska, and the state’s Orthodox diocese continues to run a seminary on Kodiak Island. Additionally, a unique local dialect blending Russian and Indigenous languages once thrived near Anchorage, though it has largely disappeared in recent decades.
As the two leaders meet on Alaskan soil, the enduring echoes of Russian history serve as a reminder of the complex and intertwined past shared between the two nations.
