Inside the remote military base where Trump and Putin will hold historic summit
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska 's largest military base, combines the Air Force 's Elmendorf base with the US Army 's Fort Richardson.
Though Kyiv and its European allies will hope that the talks lead to a breakthrough in ending the conflict, there are fears that the US president will propose that Ukraine cedes part of its territory to Russia as part of a peace deal - despite Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky not being present at the summit.
What do we know about Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson?
The mission of the base is to defend US interests in the Asia Pacific region. It had particular strategic importance during the Cold War as the closest point between Alaska and Russia, lying just 3 miles apart.
It is home to more than 32,000 people, which is roughly 10 per cent of Anchorage 's entire population.
Given its position near Russia, it was a crucial base throughout the Cold War, having been built in 1940. According to the Library of Congress, it was regarded as "particularly important" in defending the US against the Soviet Union.
Elmendorf-Richardson is also situated in a historically significant area for Russia. In 1867, the Russian Empire sold Alaska to the US.
There are concerns that the Russian president may invoke the sale of Alaska to prove his belief that land can be exchanged and partitioned by the world's great powers.
"It's easy to imagine Putin making the argument during his meetings with Trump that, 'Well, look, territories can change hands,'" Nigel Gould-Davies, former British ambassador to Belarus, said according to Sky News.
Who has visited in the past?
The military base has received a number of visits from multiple presidents in the 21st century.
It is Trump's first visit to Alaska since his second term began in January 2025, but during his first term he made a number of visits to Elmendorf-Richardson.
Barack Obama visited in 2015, during a trip in which he became the first US president to set foot north of the Arctic Circle.
In 2023, Joe Biden visited the base for a remembrance ceremony for the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001.
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