"The goal is for Putin and Trump to understand each other better"
In Alaska, during the Russian-American summit, which is scheduled for August 15, traffic will be restricted and airspace will be closed. Amy Lauren Lovecraft, a professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, told Izvestia in an interview. According to her, the parties will not be able to reach a final solution to resolve the Ukrainian crisis at the upcoming meeting. But Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will be able to "better understand each other in a personal conversation." At the same time, Russia and the United States have good prospects for cooperation, in particular, cooperation in various Arctic projects, as well as in issues related to climate change. How the locals evaluate the summit and what kind of joke they have about it — in an exclusive interview with Amy Lauren Lovecraft to Izvestia.
"Alaskans are watching all this with curiosity"
— On August 15, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will hold a historic meeting. How actively is the topic being discussed in Alaska? What is the mood in the staff on the eve of these negotiations?
— Of course, the media in the United States as a whole are quite actively discussing this topic, but this is not the main aspect of their agenda. Alaskans are watching all this with curiosity. As for the expectations from the meeting, they differ depending on the political course of a particular media outlet. Those publications that usually rate Donald Trump positively say that this meeting could help end the conflict, while journalists who are skeptical of the current president speculate about what Vladimir Putin might ask in exchange for a cease-fire.
Amy Lauren Lovecraft
— Do you feel increased security measures in the state ahead of the negotiations? Is there a risk of sabotage that could disrupt the process?
— As for any meetings of this scale, traffic is likely to be restricted, and the airspace will be closed for some period. The locals, of course, will follow the instructions of the authorities and the police to allow the meeting to take place. I think there will be some protests.
— Do you mean the protests of those who disagree with Trump's decision to meet with Putin?
— People who are not too happy with Donald Trump's domestic policy can come out to peaceful protests. There may also be people who want to gather near the venue to express their support for Russia or Ukraine. This is a normal thing. In America, it's important for people to talk about the leaders they democratically elected.
"The United States has never had a president like Donald Trump"
— Donald Trump talked about the need to meet with Vladimir Putin almost from the first days after returning to the White House. Why do you think the meeting was scheduled right now?
— After all, Trump has not been in power for so long, so there is nothing strange in the fact that he and Putin have not yet had the opportunity to meet in person. At the same time, they were constantly in touch by phone. Usually, after being elected, presidents focus more on domestic policy issues.
— On August 13, Vladimir Zelensky held a phone call with the participation of European leaders and Donald Trump. How much will European countries try to influence the course of the negotiations?
— Of course, the EU will convey its thoughts to Trump, but we already know what they are thinking: for them, the conflict is an invasion of the territory of a sovereign state, so they are worried about their own security. They will insist that Vladimir Putin does not get any territories as a result of the conflict.
The United States usually manages to come to a compromise with its NATO allies and maintain normal working relations, but in the case of Trump, the situation is different. The United States has never had a president like Donald Trump, who, before becoming president, had no experience of public work and public service. I doubt that the EU can put pressure on Trump, he won't do exactly what he's told, but he's smart when it comes to negotiations, and I think he listens carefully to what he's told in Brussels.
— There are various leaks in the press about what proposals Trump will come to the meeting with Putin with. At the same time, the most difficult point is how to reach a compromise on the territorial issue in the current situation.
— Ukraine, of course, will not make these territorial concessions. I believe that a compromise on this issue is unlikely to be reached after this meeting. That's why Donald Trump said that there would probably be a second meeting, which would be more productive.
— And what outcome of this meeting in Alaska could suit Donald Trump?
— In my opinion, the purpose of this meeting now is not to decide the fate of Ukraine, but rather so that Putin and Trump can better understand each other in person, because personal communication and telephone contact are very different. Of course, both of them will say that the meeting was successful. But will it solve the problem of Ukraine? I'm willing to bet money that it's not.
— During the presidential campaign and even after Trump took office, there was a feeling that he was in a great hurry to end the Ukrainian crisis, but now you are saying that this meeting most likely will not solve the problem. Why did the American leader decide to slow down a bit in resolving this conflict?
— Donald Trump is an unusual president. In order to attract a certain electorate, he really said that he would be able to resolve the conflict in 24 hours. But I think over time he realized that the conflict is much deeper, it is connected with other countries in Europe and Asia. A similar situation is happening with the topic of duties. He introduces tariffs, then cancels them or changes their size. Trump doesn't always understand how the world works, and he's not afraid to change his mind.
"It would be great if people could travel to each other through the Bering Strait"
— Alaska is quite far removed from the Ukrainian crisis. Nevertheless, is there any effect from the conflict that has been going on for several years? How relevant is the topic of the Russian-Ukrainian confrontation to the residents of Alaska?
— There are quite a lot of Ukrainian refugees in Alaska, they were well received, and they did not create any problems. In addition, the conflict as a whole did not have much impact on the staff. Nevertheless, Alaska has its representatives in Congress, which is why the topic somehow pops up in the information space as they speak out in one way or another. Nevertheless, the conflict in Ukraine does not have any negative effect on the staff.
In addition, there are quite a lot of Russians in Alaska who came there during the Soviet era or after, and there is also a group of so-called Old Believers, but they don't talk much about the conflict.
Residential buildings in Anchorage, Alaska
— Do you allow the beginning of Russian-American cooperation in Alaska? What projects could entrepreneurs from both countries develop together? Is there any interest in this in the business circles of the state?
— We have a joke on the Internet where Putin stands on Ratmanov Island and Trump on Kruzenshtern Island (both are part of the Diomede Islands in the Bering Strait, but the first belongs to Russia and the second to the United States. — Izvestia), and they shout at each other. This is not a malicious joke, it only proves that we are geographically close to each other.
In fact, we can work quite productively together, we have many historical ties. It would be great if people could travel to each other through the Bering Strait. It would be great if Trump and Putin thought about it. Of course, there is the theme of the Arctic nature — all those climate changes that create problems for Russia, Alaska and other areas. We could cooperate on infrastructure issues so that people in this region have safe homes. There are many peaceful and important projects that we could implement together. Such projects were discussed after the collapse of the USSR, but were forgotten when the crisis in Ukraine began.
It is very important that Russian scientists are able to share their research on permafrost and ice again. The nature of the Arctic influences monsoons in the mid-latitudes and tropics. We know how much the poles affect the weather. It would be great if there were exchanges of such scientific information. I'm not sure if this will become a talking point, but it would be a big step forward.
The nature of some regions of Russia is very similar to Alaska. Perhaps in the future it will become easier to exchange ideas, people will be able to move more freely, so that we can work together to find solutions to the problems of global warming. We need each other.
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