DefenseSeveral Russian government aircraft fly to Alaska ahead of Trump-Putin meeting
A sight that has become rare in recent years has been seen a few times in recent hours in Alaska, with Russian government aircraft flying toward Anchorage.
Official jets began flying to the United States on Thursday in preparation for the summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible ceasefire in the war in Ukraine.
At least three Ilyushin Il-96-300 widebody aircraft landed at Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, with one remaining at the airport, RA-96018.
Two other four-engine aircraft (RA-96019 and RA-96023) took off back to Russia, landing in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky hours after leaving Alaska.
On Friday, an Il-76MD, registration RA-78838, attempted to land at the international airport, but went into abort and minutes later turned off its transporder on the landing ramp at Elmendorf Air Force Base.
The summit is taking place amid skepticism from Ukraine and European allies regarding Putin’s true intentions. The Russian president has shown signs of wanting a ceasefire, but has subsequently resumed launching missile and drone attacks against civilian targets.
Trump’s proposal is also unclear, but reports point to some kind of agreement in which Ukraine would acknowledge the loss of territory, which President Volodymyr Zelenskiy considers unacceptable.
The meeting place is symbolic, as Alaska was sold to the United States by Russia in the 19th century.
It is also a region where military aircraft from both countries frequently meet and which was one of the most sensitive points of the Cold War, which ended in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
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