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As President Donald Trump prepares for a high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Anchorage residents have taken to the streets and they’re making their message loud and clear.
In a viral video filmed from a moving car, dozens of demonstrators are seen waving Ukrainian and American flags along a busy roadway, holding signs that read messages like “I Stand With Ukraine.” The display comes because of Trump’s planned summit with Putin, which the White House says is aimed at brokering a peace deal to end the three-year war in Ukraine that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Trump has played down expectations for a breakthrough at the Alaska meeting, describing it as more of a precursor to a future gathering that would include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Still, the optics of holding the talks on U.S. soil and in a state geographically close to Russia are drawing global attention.
Anchorage Protesters Line Streets With Ukrainian Flags Ahead of Trump–Putin Meeting in Alaska
Footage of the protest, shared by Olga Nesterova and re-posted by political commentator Maine, has racked up over 166,000 views and a flurry of mixed reactions online. Supporters praised the turnout. “It’s heartening to see so many Ukrainian flags. Slava Ukraini,” one user wrote. Another added, “Wow! Go Ukraine!”
Others questioned the authenticity of the demonstration, speculating without evidence that participants were paid or organized by outside groups. “Turns out you can order a crowd just about anywhere,” one commenter claimed. Another dismissed it as “definitely not an organic protest.”
The comments section quickly turned political, with critics mocking the demonstrators as “hippies” or “brainwashed libtards” and accusing them of being out of touch with local concerns. Some suggested Alaska should avoid “foreign flag waving” altogether, while others pushed back, noting that the state has a vested interest in supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Anchorage Rally Stands in Stark Contrast to Trump’s Putin Overture
The protest’s timing underscores the divisive nature of Trump’s meeting with Putin. While the president has framed the Alaska summit as a diplomatic step toward ending the war, opponents argue that inviting Putin to the U.S. sends the wrong message, particularly without Ukraine represented at the table.
Anchorage’s public show of solidarity with Ukraine serves as a visible counterpoint to the administration’s outreach to Moscow, and a reminder of the deep divides in American public opinion over the conflict.
As Trump and Putin prepare to meet, the world will be watching to see whether the Anchorage protests are merely a prelude to more widespread demonstrations, both in Alaska and across the country. With Ukrainian leadership expected to join the talks at a later date, the question remains whether these early diplomatic moves will lead to meaningful progress, or simply more political theater.
