The Foreign Ministry responds to Putin regarding Alaska: “He will certainly not regain it.”

The US State Department on Monday denied reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered his government to examine the country's former “properties” abroad, saying Alaska would remain in American hands.

Putin signed a new decree last week allocating funds to search and register Russian property abroad, including those in the former territories of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The Russian official TASS agency reported.

The decree, which comes amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, did not specifically mention Alaska, though it caught the attention of military bloggers, who argued that Putin was using the decree to declare the Russian sale of the last U.S. frontier state in 1867 illegal. .

“Well, I think I can speak for all of us in the American government to say that he certainly won't take it back,” Vedant Patel, deputy spokesman for the State Department, said during a news conference. Press conference on MondayWhich sparked laughter among his audience.

Institute for War Studies He noted last week “The exact criteria for what constitutes current or historical Russian property is unclear.”

“The Kremlin may use the ‘protection’ of its alleged assets in countries outside its internationally recognized borders to direct soft power mechanisms in post-Soviet states and neighboring states with the aim of ultimately destabilizing internal stability,” the institute wrote in its assessment of the Russian attack. campaign.

He pointed out To the Telegram post A military blogger suggested that Russia could begin enacting the law in Alaska, parts of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Putin in 2014 Question and Answer With a studio audience, he described the 1867 sale as “inexpensive” and said people should “not concern themselves with it”.

“We could calculate the equivalent amount, but it was certainly inexpensive. Russia is a northern country with 70% of its territory located in the north and the far north. Alaska isn't in the southern hemisphere, is it? It's cold there too. Let's not worry about that, okay?” He said.

While Putin appeared to downplay the sale, Russian lawmaker Sergei Mironov hinted in December that Moscow would regain its former territory in the future.

“Do you want a new world order? Receive and sign. Venezuela has annexed the twenty-fourth state, Guyana-Essequibo. This is happening under the watchful eye of the great hegemon of the United States. All that remains is for Mexico to return Texas and the rest. It is time for the Americans to think about their future.” And also about Alaska” Mironov Written on XTwitter previously, last month.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev joked about the Foreign Ministry's response later on Monday, Write on X“According to a representative of the State Department, Russia will not take back Alaska, which was sold to the United States in the 19th century. That's it then. We were waiting for it to be returned any day. Now war is inevitable,” he wrote, along with a laughing emoji.