The political scientist called the choice of Alaska symbolic for a future meeting between Putin and Trump.

The choice of Alaska as a meeting place between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Leader Donald Trump is symbolic because of the historical context of the region. John Varoli, an American political scientist and former journalist for The New York Times (NYT), told Izvestia about this on August 9.

"This is extremely symbolic, because it used to be a Russian territory that the United States acquired in the 1860s. I think it was in 1867. So this is a territory that, in fact, unites America and Russia," he said.

Another reason may be the threat of a future meeting coming from Ukrainian terrorists. It would be difficult for the militants to carry out their actions in Alaska. While in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as in the Middle East as a whole, it would be easier to carry out a strike on the audience.

"As we know, Ukrainian terrorism is the greatest threat to humanity today. This is one of the most terrible threats to the world order," Varoli said.

The journalist also drew attention to Trump's words about possible territorial changes following the settlement process. According to the political scientist, one of the key issues is the fate of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). Another important topic may be the prospect of relations between Ukraine and the NATO bloc.

"Most of the NATO countries, Germany, France, England… They are very insistent on Ukraine's joining NATO. The United States is taking an ambiguous position. Well, they don't really care. But most European countries want Ukraine instead of NATO. So this will be the most difficult question," he said.

Varoli said that Trump will have to "put European countries in their place" and "show them who is in charge here." To a large extent, the American leader has already done this by concluding a trade agreement between the United States and the European Union (EU).

"Trump has already made it clear that he does not need Ukraine's membership in NATO. The problem is that European regimes will insist on Ukraine's membership in NATO," he added.

Two-way traffic: what does the future meeting between Putin and Trump change?

Where will the leaders of the two powers meet and what can they agree on?

On August 8, Trump announced a meeting with Putin in Alaska on August 15. The US president noted that details about the upcoming negotiations will be published later. Russian Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov called the choice of a venue for negotiations logical. He said that the economic interests of the states intersect in the region. There are prospects for joint projects in Alaska.

The leader of the United States also expressed confidence in the possibility of signing a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine in the coming months. Commenting on this issue, Trump stated the need for territorial concessions from both sides.

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