- Category
- Latest news
“Putin Won’t Stop at Ukraine”: Alaskans Rally in Anchorage Ahead of Trump-Putin Summit
- Authors
![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Anchorage to protest a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, scheduled to take place in the city, according to the Anchorage Daily News on August 15.
The protest, organized by a coalition of progressive groups, featured Ukrainian flags, homemade signs, and even a marching band.
🇺🇸🇺🇦 Happening right now: a big pro-Ukrainian rally in Anchorage ahead of the Trump-Putin meeting. “Ukraine and Alaska — Russian never again.” pic.twitter.com/Zx2VKVYW9G
— Ostap Yarysh (@OstapYarysh) August 15, 2025
Some participants criticized Trump’s broader policies, while others specifically targeted the summit.
One sign read, “I can see fascists from my house,” a pointed parody of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s well-known 2008 quip about Alaska’s proximity to Russia. Another warned, “Putin won’t stop at Ukraine,” reflecting concerns among some Alaskans that Moscow still harbors ambitions over the state, which Russia sold to the US in 1867.
🇺🇦Anchorage, Alaska. Thank you for this beautiful display of support and humanity. Thank you for being on the right side of history, and showing others exactly what that side stand for! #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/W8PovrLRG6
— Їne Back Їversen (@IneBackIversen) August 15, 2025
The dissent is not limited to Alaska. In Kyiv, relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war staged a demonstration outside the US Embassy, urging Washington to put human rights ahead of territorial negotiations, according to Ukrainian media outlet hromadske.
Dozens gathered holding flags bearing the names and faces of captured soldiers, along with signs in Ukrainian and English reading “Don’t bargain with Ukrainian land,” “Don’t trust Putin,” and “Return Ukrainian POWs.”
“Today we—relatives of prisoners of war and the missing—have come to tell the President of the United States that any peace talks must start with human rights. This means returning POWs home, opening access to the colonies where they are held, and allowing the International Committee of the Red Cross in,” said organizer Natalia Yepifanova.
She stressed that Moscow must show a genuine will for peace by releasing both military and civilian captives.
“We want to call on [President Donald Trump] to change the rhetoric—from trading land to exchanging prisoners first. Start with that,” Yepifanova said.
The group is also gathering signatures on a letter to Trump, urging him to back an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange.
Earlier, reports emerged that Trump was preparing to offer Putin a series of economic incentives to end the ongoing war in Ukraine.
These proposals will be presented during their highly anticipated meeting on Friday, August 15, which will take place in Trump’s offer to Putin includes access to Alaska’s rich natural resources, lifting some sanctions on Russia’s aviation industry, and providing access to the rare earth minerals in Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russian forces.
