Russian journalists covering the Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage posted complaints about sleeping on cots in a converted university arena and about the food, including tuna mayonnaise. Local officials said hotels across the city were full and the arena was set up on short notice to house overflow delegates and media.
Russian reporters post about conditions in Anchorage
ANCHORAGE, Alaska: Russian journalists who traveled to cover the August 15 summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin posted photos and videos of the temporary lodging they were given inside a university sports arena. The images showed rows of cots separated by curtains, shared shower facilities and simple meals, including a tuna mayonnaise dish that some reporters complained about. Posts also mentioned limited phone service.
The posts circulated widely on Telegram and X and were picked up by international outlets. Independent Russian outlet Meduza described the setup as something like a camp.
How the arena became a lodging site
The summit was announced only about a week before it took place, and Anchorage hotels filled up quickly during the busy summer season. The University of Alaska Anchorage converted its Alaska Airlines Center into a temporary accommodation site. The Anchorage Daily News reported that the university was preparing to host up to 750 U.S. and Russian delegates.
Staff set up pipe-and-drape partitions to create small “rooms,” typically with two cots each, and used the arena’s locker rooms for showers. University officials compared the layout to a trade show setup that could be put together quickly.
A citywide housing crunch
The lodging shortage was not limited to Russian visitors. Local media reported that U.S. and international reporters also struggled to find rooms, and some Anchorage residents offered spare rooms or space to visitors. The Dena’ina Center downtown served as a media hub during the event.
Some Russian commentators presented the conditions as a failure by the American hosts. Local officials and several Western outlets pointed instead to the short notice, the size of the visiting delegations and the limited number of hotel rooms in the city.
Reactions online
The images drew mixed reactions. Some social media users mocked the conditions, while Ukrainian outlets contrasted the complaints with the hardships faced by civilians in the war. Some later footage showed improved catering as the operation settled in.
The summit itself
The meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson ended without an agreement on a ceasefire in Ukraine. Trump described the talks as productive, and Putin spoke of the possibility of further meetings. Attention afterward turned to follow-up talks, including a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders on August 18.
Source: Anchorage Daily News
