The territorial issue is the core of disputes between countries, as is the case with the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as well as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Recently, the United States and Russia have also had some minor disputes because of territorial issues.
(U.S. Department of State Deputy Spokesperson Vedan Patel)
A few days ago, a reporter suddenly told the US side at a briefing that according to a decree of Russian President Putin, Alaska, which Russia had previously sold to the United States, was "illegal". In response, the deputy spokesman of the US State Department immediately responded, saying that Russia had already sold Alaska to the United States in the 19th century, so the Russian side could not recover this land.
At present, the situation in the Middle East is chaotic, and NATO is also going to conduct encirclement exercises, and in this context, when it comes to the Alaska issue, this reporter is really suspected of fanning the flames. And the decree he mentioned was actually a presidential decree signed by Putin on the 18th of this month.
The presidential decree requires that the Russian Federation allocate funds to establish a specific task for locating, recording and maintaining foreign real estate assets belonging to Russia, including not only those owned by contemporary Russia, but also those of the former Soviet Union and earlier Tsarist Russia.
It is precisely because of the phrase "including real estate from the Tsarist Russian era" in the presidential decree that it touched the sensitive heart of the US side and immediately linked the Alaska issue.
In this regard, there is no official response from the Russian side at the moment, but Medvedev, who loves to join in the fun, made a "little joke" on his social platform. "We are also waiting for Alaska to return at any time, and if the US side says so, then war is inevitable," Medvedev said. At the end of the text, he also deliberately added a "laughing and crying" emoji.
(Posted by Medvedev)
You must know that at present, the international community is in turmoil over the territorial issue, and if the United States and Russia, two major powers with nuclear weapons, want to explore the issue of Alaska at this time, it will not be a trivial matter.
But for Russia now, it is important to break free from the economic and political encirclement set up by the United States and its Western allies, and to orient the Far East well. On the one hand, the United States needs to continue its diplomatic and military deployment in the Middle East to maintain control and influence over the turbulent situation in the region, and at the same time, in the context of tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, the United States also needs to keep a close eye on the dynamics in the Asia-Pacific region.
So now is not a good time for both the United States and Russia to pursue the Alaska issue.
However, from Medvedev's "joke", we can also see that the lost Alaska has long become a headache for the Russian side.
Alaska was discovered in 1741 by the Russian explorer Vites Belingo, and the Russians have been trading here since then, trading furs and other activities. However, due to its remote location, harsh climate, management difficulties, and economic considerations, Russia's development of the territory has always been limited.
By the middle of the 19th century, the Russian Empire decided that it was too expensive to maintain the Alaska colony, and that it might be lost by the British from the sea in a future war, and that Russia was in dire need of funds to rebuild the economy after the Crimean War, so Tsar Alexander II made a decision: to sell Alaska, and in order to prevent British expansion, the Russian side turned to the United States.
(Alaska's Klondike gold discovery sparked a gold rush)
In 1867, U.S. Secretary of State Seward signed the Alaska Purchase Treaty with Russian representatives, buying Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, equivalent to two cents per acre. After the deal was completed at that time, many people in the United States ridiculed Seward for being stupid, thinking that it was not worth paying a lot of money to buy such a desolate and cold land as Alaska.
But buying Alaska proved to be the best deal for the United States.
First of all, Alaska is a treasure mountain from a resource perspective. The discovery of the Klondike gold mine in 1896 not only caused the world-famous gold rush, but also set off a wave of immigration to Alaska. In the 20th century, Alaska was once again known for its vast oil and gas reserves, and the exploitation of these resources not only greatly promoted the economic growth of the United States, but also provided a solid guarantee for the energy security of the United States, which played a key role in maintaining the industrial and economic development of the United States in the long run.
Secondly, it is strategic value. During the Cold War, Alaska's geographical location made it an ideal place to monitor Soviet activity, and the geopolitical importance of the Far North established it as a strategic military position for the United States. To this day, the U.S. military still has a military base there. And from the perspective of the broader security environment, the presence of Alaska provides a favorable window for the United States to observe and respond to global challenges, ensuring the dominance of the United States in the international arena.
(U.S. military base in Alaska)
More importantly, the coastline of northern Alaska borders the Arctic Ocean, so the United States officially became a member of the Arctic Council. This not only means that the United States can directly participate in Arctic affairs, but also shows that the United States can participate in the huge competition for Arctic resources together with Russia and other countries. As the global climate warms, the possibility of the opening of the Arctic shipping lanes will increase, which will revolutionize international trade, and Alaska's role in this will become more significant.
To sum up, the United States will not let go of such an important strategic place, and judging from Russia's jokes, Russia is also willing to take back Alaska, but whether it can get it back in the end depends on how the international situation changes in the future.