Trump and Putin will meet at Alaska base long used to counter Russia

In an ironic twist, President Donald Trump is set to discuss the war in Ukraine with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at a military base in Alaska that was crucial to countering the Soviet Union during the height of Cold War and still plays a role today.

The meeting is scheduled to take place Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, according to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning.

The base created by merging Elmendorf Air Force Base and Army Fort Richardson in 2010 has played a key strategic role in monitoring and deterring the Soviet Union during much of the Cold War.

Throughout its long history, the base hosted large numbers of aircraft and oversaw operations of a variety of early warning radar sites that were aimed at detecting Soviet military activity and any possible nuclear launches. It earned the motto “Top Cover for North America” at this time, according to the base website.

While much of the military hardware has since been deactivated, the base still hosts key aircraft squadrons, including the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet. Planes from the base also still intercept Russian aircraft that regularly fly into U.S. airspace.

The leaders’ meeting at an American military base allows them to avoid any protests and provides an important level of security, said Benjamin Jensen, senior fellow for defense and security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.

“For President Trump, it’s a great way for him to show American military strength while also isolating the ability of the public or others to intervene with what he probably hopes is a productive dialogue,” Jensen said.

He said the location means Trump can cultivate ties with Putin while “signaling military power to try to gain that bargaining advantage to make a second meeting possible.”

The irony of Putin visiting an American military base that long has — and still does — aimed to counter Russian threats comes as Trump works to reach a ceasefire deal in a war that he promised during the 2024 campaign to end quickly.

Officials from Ukraine and Europe fear that the one-on-one meeting they will not take part in could lead to an outcome that favors Russian goals.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump was “very clear” that the United States wants to achieve a ceasefire at the summit. Macron spoke after a virtual meeting between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders.

Trump has said any major agreement could involve land swaps and that Zelenskyy and Putin could meet next or he could meet with both leaders.

“There’s a very good chance that we’re going to have a second meeting, which will be more productive than the first, because the first is I’m going to find out where we are and what we’re doing,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “It’s going to be a very important meeting, but it’s setting the table for the second meeting.”

Associated Press writer Nathan Ellgren contributed to this report.

具有讽刺意味的是，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普将在阿拉斯加的一个军事基地与俄罗斯领导人弗拉基米尔·普京讨论乌克兰战争。该基地在冷战高峰时期对对抗苏联至关重要，如今仍然发挥着作用。

据一位不愿透露姓名的白宫官员透露，会议定于周五在安克雷奇的埃尔门多夫-理查森联合基地举行，该官员表示，会议涉及内部计划。

2010 年由埃尔门多夫空军基地和理查森陆军堡合并而成的基地，在冷战的大部分时间里，在监视和威慑苏联方面发挥了关键的战略作用。

在其漫长的历史中，该基地曾驻扎过大量飞机，并负责监管多个预警雷达站的运行，这些雷达站旨在探测苏联的军事活动和任何可能的核发射。据基地网站称，当时它赢得了“北美最高掩护”的美誉。

虽然大部分军事装备已被退役，但该基地仍然驻扎着重要的飞机中队，包括F-22“猛禽”隐形战斗机。该基地的飞机也仍然会拦截经常飞入美国领空的俄罗斯飞机。

华盛顿智库战略与国际研究中心国防与安全高级研究员本杰明·詹森表示，领导人在美国军事基地举行会晤，可以避免任何抗议活动，并提供重要的安全保障。

詹森说：“对特朗普总统来说，这是展示美国军事实力的好方法，同时也能孤立公众或其他人干预他可能希望进行的富有成效的对话的能力。”

他表示，这个地点意味着特朗普可以与普京建立联系，同时“发出军事信号，试图获得谈判优势，使第二次会晤成为可能”。

具有讽刺意味的是，普京访问了一个长期以来（而且现在仍然）旨在应对俄罗斯威胁的美国军事基地，而与此同时，特朗普正努力达成一项停火协议，以结束这场他在 2024 年竞选期间承诺迅速结束的战争。

乌克兰和欧洲官员担心，他们不会参加的这次一对一会晤可能会导致有利于俄罗斯目标的局面。

法国总统马克龙表示，特朗普“非常明确”地表明，美国希望在峰会上实现停火。马克龙是在特朗普、乌克兰总统泽连斯基和其他欧洲领导人举行视频会议后发表上述讲话的。

特朗普曾表示，任何重大协议都可能涉及土地交换，泽连斯基和普京可能会在下次会晤，或者他可能会与两位领导人同时会晤。

“我们很有可能会举行第二次会晤，而且第二次会晤会比第一次更有成效，因为第一次会晤我主要是想了解我们目前的处境和正在做的事情，”特朗普周三告诉记者。“这将是一次非常重要的会晤，但它是为第二次会晤做准备。”

美联社记者内森·埃尔格伦对本报道亦有贡献。