US Secret Service rented house in Anchorage ahead of Trump-Putin meeting - NYT
Photo: Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump (Getty Images)
This Friday, US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska. It has already been revealed in which city the US Secret Service rented a house, according to The New York Times.
The White House has not confirmed the exact location of the meeting, the outlet writes.
However, a realtor specializing in short-term rentals in Anchorage, who also serves as Germany’s honorary consul, said he rented a six-bedroom house to the US Secret Service for the meeting.
"The US Secret Service contacted me earlier today, and they asked me if I might have availability of any of my places, and I did for the window that they needed," said Mr. Disbrow, who goes by Beau.
He added that he understands why Alaska might be an attractive location for such a meeting from a historical perspective.
"But it surprised me, for sure," Disbrow said.
At the same time, the NYT quoted Anchorage Mayor Suzanne LaFrance, who said in a Saturday interview that she had not received any information on whether the Trump-Putin meeting would take place in her city.
"Hosting leaders is not unusual for us here in Alaska. Serving as a place for diplomacy is part of our history, as we are that crossroads of the world," the mayor added.
The outlet noted that Trump has visited Alaska at least five times since taking office in 2017, most often staying at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage.
The NYT also added that the meeting with Putin will be Trump’s first official visit to Alaska since the start of his second presidential term.
Background
Trump recently announced that he would meet Putin in the US state of Alaska on August 15. The Russian side has also confirmed the information.
One of the key topics of the meeting will be the war in Ukraine.
Following a visit to Moscow by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, media reported that a Trump-Putin meeting was being planned, possibly followed by another one in a trilateral format with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Based on recent media reports, it is still unclear whether there will be one meeting or several. For now, preparations are underway for a summit between Trump and Putin specifically, though multiple media sources do not rule out Zelenskyy’s participation.
