Photo/Illutration U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as they meet to negotiate for an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 15. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

There are two islands in the middle of the Bering Strait—Big Diomede Island and Little Diomede Island.

They are only about 4 kilometers apart, but there lies an invisible divide between them.

When the clock shows 11 a.m. on Sunday on Big Diomede and it’s getting close to lunchtime, the clock on Little Diomede shows 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Why is that?

It’s because the International Date Line runs between the two islands, placing the islands in different time zones—Big Diomede is 20 hours ahead of Little Diomede.

This man-made demarcation sets the two islands apart quite decisively.

While Little Diomede is part of the United States, Big Diomede is Russian territory, and its official name is Ratmanov Island.

Both belonged to Russia until 1867, when dire financial straits forced Russia to sell what is now Alaska to the United States, and an international border was drawn between the two Diomedes.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin conferred in Alaska.

I thought about those two islands when Putin gleefully said during a news conference that his country and the United States are “close neighbors only 4 kilometers apart.”

I strongly believe in the necessity of dialogue between Trump and Putin, if the war in Ukraine is to end. But I have serious doubts about Trump’s decision to roll out the red carpet for the leader of the aggressor nation.

In fact, I worry that Trump may well be allowing himself to play into Putin’s hands.

In the history of the 19th century world where territories were “defined” arbitrarily by the great powers, the people who originally inhabited Alaska were as good as nonexistent.

And we cannot allow that sort of absurdity in our 21st century world. There must be no deal that will leave the people of war-torn Ukraine languishing in their misery.

—The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 17

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.