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Anchorage’s shortage of hotel rooms and rental cars has forced the agency to fly in SUVs from the lower 48 states, Bloomberg said.
Journalists work near an entrance to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 14, 2025, ahead of the August 15 scheduled meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AFP)
When Anchorage realtor Beau Disbrow answered the phone, he didn’t expect the call to come from the US Secret Service. As reported by Bloomberg, his short-term rentals usually cater to glacier-bound tourists or business travellers, not presidential security teams. But with President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin set to meet in Alaska on Friday, the agency needed housing fast.
“Most of my short-term rentals were booked, but I did manage to put some of them into one home,” Disbrow told Bloomberg. The request didn’t stop there — soon after, the Russian consulate in New York called with the same query. With no vacancies left, Disbrow referred them to a friend with empty furnished homes.
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Bloomberg reports that the lone Secret Service agent permanently assigned to Alaska began mobilising hundreds of reinforcements the moment Trump announced the summit last week. The operation, according to four people familiar with the planning, turned into an all-out sprint — condensed into just seven days. Unlike overseas visits, the US location allows the Secret Service to move weapons, communications gear, and medical equipment without foreign restrictions. Still, Alaska’s remote geography and limited infrastructure have created logistical hurdles.
Anchorage’s shortage of hotel rooms and rental cars has forced the agency to fly in SUVs from the lower 48 states, Bloomberg said. The meeting will take place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska’s largest military installation, a Cold War–era listening post located less than 1,000 miles from Russia. The base’s controlled airspace, fortified gates, and instant military support make it an ideal — and secure — venue.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy told Bloomberg Television that holding the summit on the base eases pressure on the city during peak tourist season. Still, the scale of the operation is immense. Protocol rules require a perfectly mirrored security setup for both leaders — from the number of armed guards to the placement of translators. Neither side will ride in the other’s vehicles or open the other’s doors, Bloomberg noted. Even the size of secure “hold rooms” for each leader is under negotiation.
With Russian approval for the final security plan still pending, downtown Anchorage is already transformed. Hotels are fully booked, rental car lots emptied for motorcades, and agents are stationed at intersections, coffee shops, and parking garages. Alaska state troopers and local police are integrated into routes mapped down to each turn.
Trump has characterised the meeting as a step toward ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, hinting that a territorial swap could be part of a deal. Putin, according to Bloomberg, has praised Trump’s mediation efforts and floated economic cooperation and a new arms control treaty as possible outcomes.
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The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
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