‘How is it that a war criminal is actually coming to America?’ Ukrainian refugees in Alaska on Putin coming to the U.S. for talks with Trump
After Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine, more than 1,000 Ukrainians fleeing the invasion found refuge in Alaska. Now, Russian President Vladimir Putin is headed to the state for his first in-person talks with his U.S. counterpart on ending the war — but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky isn’t invited. RFE/RL’s Ukrainian service spoke with Ukrainian refugees in Alaska about how they and local residents reacted to news of the summit and what they expect from the meeting. Meduza shares a translation of their stories.
Olena Demchenko is from the village of Zarichne in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region. Two weeks after Russia’s full-scale invasion began, she boarded a train to Poland with her two children. They spent six months there, but when she couldn’t find work, she posted on social media that she wanted to move to the United States.
Her message caught the attention of a representative from New Chance United Relief Program, an organization that helps Ukrainian refugees by arranging relocations, providing humanitarian aid, and assisting with paperwork. The group told RFE/RL’s Ukrainian service that roughly 1,300 displaced Ukrainians have resettled in Alaska, a state with a population of just over 740,000.
Olena was among the first Ukrainians to arrive in Alaska through the Uniting for Ukraine program, which allowed those fleeing the war to enter the country with the support of U.S.-based sponsors. She says the invitation to Alaska came as a surprise: all she knew of the state was “mountains, bears, and lots of snow.” Instead, she found a place that reminded her of the Carpathian Mountains in western Ukraine. “It’s a beautiful place,” she said. “Everyone is so welcoming, and we really like it here.”
Her family settled in Eagle River, just outside Anchorage. Her children attend the local school, and she works in a store. Lately, she says, both Ukrainians and Alaskans have been talking about the upcoming August 15 meeting in Anchorage between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. She hopes the talks might help bring the war to an end, even though she was disappointed to learn that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wasn’t invited. “At first we thought our president would come too,” she said. “But we still believe this meeting will work out in Ukraine’s favor.”
And I want to add that we feel huge support for our country here. Every time we’ve held a fundraiser — and there have been several — Americans have been incredibly generous. I work in a store, and today four people came up to me and asked, “You’re Ukrainian, right? Friday is the meeting. What do you think about it? We’re with you, everything will be fine, we support Ukraine.”
‘Many people aren’t happy’
When Russia launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Kateryna Klymenchenko was in the city of Sumy. Seven months into the full-scale war, she decided to move to Alaska through the Uniting for Ukraine program.
“It turned out there was a family in Alaska we’d never met or even heard of before who decided to take us in,” she recalled. “So I came here not knowing a single person. They’re Americans, not born in Alaska but transplants from other states. This couple became like family to us — we call them our Alaskan mom and dad. We still talk all the time and have a very, very close bond.”
Kateryna now lives in Anchorage, where her second daughter was born and her eldest started school. She says the city is not only talking about the upcoming meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin but also bracing for the arrival of the two leaders.
“Many people aren’t happy about the Russian president coming here, because he’s committed many, many crimes,” she said. “People are also talking about how now everyone is suddenly talking about Alaska — how Alaska has become the center of the world, and everyone is interested in it because of this event.”
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump hope to prove at the Alaska summit that borders — and the truth — are negotiable. Meduza’s newsroom fights back on a shoestring, reaching millions in Russia despite being branded an “undesirable organization” and targeted by the Kremlin’s censors. Your monthly donation powers the firewall that guards our independent reporting.
Alaska’s governor, Mike Dunleavy, has his own explanation for why the state was chosen for the summit. Alaska, he wrote on X, is “the most strategic location in the world.” “With a mere two miles separating Russia from Alaska, no other place plays a more vital role in our national defense, energy security, and Arctic leadership,” he added.
Kateryna has her own theory: “Probably because it’s geographically convenient — the flight isn’t too long for either side. And let’s be honest, it’s no secret that Alaska once belonged to Russia. So there’s a lot of talk, and everyone has their own opinion.”
‘It’s a shock’
When the full-scale war began, Olha Korol was living with her family in Dnipro. She and her husband later fled to Germany with their three children. Since April 2023, they’ve been in Anchorage. Her two daughters and son are in school, and both she and her husband work. Olha spent nearly a year training to earn her license as a hairstylist and makeup artist; she now rents a chair at a local beauty salon.
Like many others, she says the news that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin would meet in Alaska took her by surprise.
People don’t even know what to expect. It’s a shock — how is it that Putin, Vladimir Putin, a war criminal who’s now a suspect in a war crimes case, is actually coming to America? It’s nonsense, especially for us Ukrainians. How can you talk to someone who doesn’t want the war to end? He’s pursuing absolutely inhumane, brutal policies toward Ukraine. As a Ukrainian, I believe there’s nothing to talk about — there needs to be relentless pressure on this man and on that country.
Olha said she planned to join rallies on August 14 and 15 in support of Ukraine and against Putin’s visit in Anchorage. The events were announced on social media by the nonprofit Stand UP Alaska.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin — a war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court — has been invited to Alaska to ‘divide up’ Ukraine. This is happening right under our noses, and our allies haven’t even been given a seat at the table,” the group’s communications director, Lucien Dyer, told RFE/RL’s Ukrainian service. “Alaska supports Ukraine, despite what our elected officials say. The people do not welcome hatred or violence in any form.”
Olha says her own message to the world is that Ukraine’s territory is indivisible and its people must be heard.
I want to remind Trump and his administration that Ukraine is the injured party here, and its opinion must be respected. You cannot give an aggressor territory, because that only provokes more aggression, more land grabs, and greater escalation of the conflict — a widening of the war.
