Sentiment toward Russia in Alaska has cooled since Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022. The Anchorage Assembly voted unanimously to suspend its three-decade-long sister city relationship with Magadan, Russia, and the Juneau Assembly sent its sister city of Vladivostok a letter expressing concern.

On Friday, the president is flying to the state of Alaska, which he likes to refer to as “Russia,” to meet with Vladimir Putin. The meeting is set to take place in Anchorage, which is a good thing because the capital of the state is in danger of floating off toward Bora Bora. From Alaska’s News Source:

Mrs Podicenko’s hope is echoed by several of the 1,000 Ukrainian refugees who fled to Alaska since 2022 with the help of New Chance, a Russian-language church. Mrs Podicenko moved to Alaska with her friend Olena Demchenko, and her two children, Aleksander, 15, and Sofia, seven. She now works in a care home in Anchorage.