Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the graves of Soviet soldiers in the city of Anchorage before departing from Friday’s summit in the US state of Alaska.
He laid red roses at the white stone crosses in the Fort Richardson National Cemetery. Among those buried there are Soviet pilots who lost their lives during World War II while ferrying US aircraft for the allied Soviet Union.
During his press appearance with US President Donald Trump, Putin expressed gratitude for the well-maintained state of the military cemetery. He said that the memory of the fight against common enemies could help to reconnect under difficult conditions now.
Russian Orthodox Christians in Alaska
Putin also spoke with the archbishop of the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska and gifted him two icons, Russian news agencies reported.
Alaska was a Russian colony before the tsarist empire sold the remote territory to the United States in 1867.
According to Russian media, Putin’s stay on US soil lasted about five hours.
Trump and Putin stated that they mainly discussed the war in Ukraine, but they did not disclose the outcomes of their discussions.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin lays flowers to the graves of Soviet soldiers who died during World War II at Fort Richardson National Cemetery. -/Kremlin/dpa
