Flight restrictions are being put in place in Alaska ahead of President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s scheduled meeting Friday to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine at a remote U.S. military base.
North American Aerospace Defense Command issued a statement saying it would be enforcing Federal Aviation Administration flight restrictions over Anchorage, Alaska, “in support of the presidential summit.”
A White House official confirmed to Military.com on Thursday that the meeting would be taking place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, an Army and Air Force installation that supports F-22 Raptor units and traces its roots back to the Cold War.
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Flight restrictions ahead of presidential events are routine, but the meeting in Alaska with Putin is especially noteworthy as NORAD frequently detects and tracks Russian military aircraft flying near U.S. airspace.
Just weeks ago, on July 22, NORAD spotted multiple Russian aircraft in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone — an area between U.S. and Canadian airspace, a news release at the time detailed. Capt. Rebecca Garand, a NORAD spokesperson, told CBS News that the incursion included two fighter jets and two bombers.
NORAD issued press releases in April, as well as multiple notices in February and late January, about similar instances of Russian aircraft making their way into the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone.
NORAD has also been keeping a close eye stateside when Trump travels.
Earlier this year, the command had to scramble F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets on several occasions to intercept civilian airplanes over Trump’s residence in Palm Beach, Florida, Military.com previously reported.
NORAD said pilots must follow the proper protocol within the temporary flight restriction area put in place over Anchorage on Friday.
“If required, NORAD fighter aircraft will respond to aircraft not following proper procedures within the [temporary flight restriction area], a scenario we encourage all pilots to avoid,” the command warned in the news release.
Putin’s visit to the Alaskan military base marks the first time the Russian leader has been on U.S. soil in 10 years. The last time the Russian leader was stateside was for an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Notably, the White House began downplaying expectations for the meeting earlier this week and said a second meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would likely be necessary to resolve the ongoing violence.
“I think this is a listening exercise for the president,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. “Look, only one party that’s involved in this war is going to be present, and so this is for the president to go and to get, again, a more firm and better understanding of how we can, hopefully, bring this war to an end.”
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