FIRST ON DAILY SIGNAL—Reports that the Trump administration might strike a deal granting Russia access to Alaskan minerals are “fake news,” Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy told The Daily Signal.
Dunleavy also said President Donald Trump could be the “front-runner” for a Nobel Peace Prize if he’s successful in negotiating a “just peace” to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
After Trump landed at the Anchorage, Alaska, summit Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a peace deal with Ukraine, the governor spoke with Cabinet officials aboard Air Force One.
Accompanying Trump on the trip were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
“The rumors of granting Russia access to minerals were dismissed as fake news,” Duleavy told The Daily Signal in a phone interview.
Newsweek, The Telegraph, and other news outlets reported on the prospect of granting Russia access to Alaska minerals as part of a peace deal with Ukraine.
“We all want to see a just peace,” Dunleavy said of the summit in his state. “President Trump is the person to deliver it. In his first term, he delivered the Abraham Accords. In his second term, during the last six or seven months, we’ve seen several peace deals.”
Trump brokered the Abraham Accords in 2020 between Israel and four Middle Eastern and North African countries to boost diplomatic relations with the the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.
During his second term, Trump helped negotiate ceasefires between India and Pakistan, Thailand and Cambodia, Rwanda and Congo, and between Armenia and Azerbaijan
Asked if Trump would deserve a Nobel Peace Prize if he brokered a deal between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Dunleavy answered: “absolutely.”
“He would be the front-runner for the Peace Prize if he is successful here,” Dunleavey said. “It’s not what you think of Donald Trump. It’s about what President Trump has done.”
Alaska has a historical role as the site of this summit. Russia sold Alaska to the United States in 1867 for $7.2 million.
The Alaska governor said that Ukrainians will ultimately decide what a just peace looks like.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and Dunleavy noted Putin invaded other countries, including the Eurasian nation of Georgia, in recent years.
“No doubt Putin wants peace, but he wants it on his terms,” the Alaskan said. “President Trump will ascertain how serious he is.”