Would Trump Hand Alaska To Putin For Ukraine Peace? The Rumour That's Rocking Diplomacy

A bizarre claim about a possible U.S.-Russia land-for-peace deal is stirring debate in diplomatic circles.

File photo: Reuters

Washington: A bizarre and controversial rumour has started circulating in political and diplomatic circles that U.S. President Donald Trump might consider offering Alaska to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their August 15 meeting in exchange for ending the war in Ukraine. While no credible evidence supports such a claim, its spread has triggered heated debate across capitals and on social media.

The speculation reportedly began with online chatter from fringe political commentators, who suggested that Trump could use an unprecedented land-for-peace deal as part of a grand bargain to reset U.S.-Russia relations.

Supporters of this theory claimed that Trump, who is known for his unconventional diplomacy, might view Alaska, which was once sold by Russia to the United States in 1867, as a symbolic bargaining chip that could satisfy Putin’s desire for a historic territorial “win”.

White House insiders from the current administration dismissed the rumour as absurd, saying it had no grounding in reality or policy. They stressed that Alaska is an integral and permanent part of the United States and that no president could legally or politically cede it.

Former U.S. diplomats said that even floating such an idea would be geopolitical suicide, undermining America’s credibility and alarming allies. They emphasised that Putin’s territorial ambitions extend beyond symbolic gestures and that Ukraine’s sovereignty could not be secured through unrelated concessions.

Trump’s aides insisted that he has never entertained such a proposal. They argued that the rumour was part of a smear effort designed to portray him as willing to trade away U.S. soil.

Analysts specialising in Russia said Putin would almost certainly seize on any perception of American willingness to renegotiate past treaties as a sign of weakness. They added that even if such a deal were theoretically possible, it would violate international law and U.S. constitutional protections.

Despite repeated denials, the rumour has gained traction in online echo chambers, where it is framed as either a stroke of deal making genius or a betrayal of American history. Political strategists warned that such speculation could shape perceptions of Trump’s foreign policy instincts, regardless of its veracity.

For now, the so-called Alaska-for-Ukraine peace deal remains a product of online gossip and partisan imagination. But its rapid spread highlights how fragile and combustible the diplomatic environment has become these days and how rumours, no matter how implausible, can ripple through global politics.