‘Ukraine and Alaska — Russian never again!’ Hundreds of protesters rally in Anchorage to support Kyiv ahead of Trump–Putin summit

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are meeting for talks in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, with the war in Ukraine topping the agenda — though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky won’t be at the table. In the run-up to the summit, Anchorage has seen a wave of pro-Ukraine rallies. Three days before the meeting, Erin Jackson-Hill, head of the nonprofit Stand UP Alaska, told the Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform that Putin is “a war criminal and has no place on American soil,” adding, “We do not support authoritarian dictators being invited to our state.” Stand UP Alaska says about 1,000 people joined their August 14 protest. On Friday, they plan to unfurl a massive Ukrainian flag in downtown Anchorage. Meduza has photos from Thursday’s rally.

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.