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illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on ABC News or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Friday at a U.S. military base in Alaska to discuss Moscow’s war on Ukraine, a location steeped in historical significance as land purchased from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million
• Experts highlight that understanding the history of U.S.–Russia relations, including the Alaska purchase, is key to contextualizing current geopolitical tensions
🔭 The context: Russia controlled Alaska from the 18th century until financial and strategic pressures led Czar Alexander II to sell the territory
• Negotiations, delayed by the American Civil War, concluded when Secretary of State William Seward agreed to the deal in 1867, later derided as “Seward’s Folly” before gold and other resources changed perceptions
• Alaska became the 49th U.S. state in 1959, long after its strategic and economic value was recognized
🌍 Why it matters for geopolitics: The summit’s location symbolically links past territorial transactions with today’s high-stakes diplomacy over war and security in Eastern Europe
• Historical awareness can help frame dialogue between nations with long, complex relationships
⏭️ What's next: Trump and Putin are expected to address the Ukraine conflict directly during the Alaska summit, with potential implications for U.S.–Russia relations and NATO strategy
💬 One quote: “The Russian-American relationship has been so fraught with ups and downs, and there’s always a way of looking at the past and focusing on the positive if we’re going to try and mediate a war.” — Lee Farrow, Auburn University at Montgomery
📈 One stat: The $7.2 million paid for Alaska in 1867 would be roughly $150 million in today’s dollars — a fraction of the territory’s current economic value
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