A new decree signed by Vladimir Putin had some worried he is planning on taking some older territories
The State Department brushed off concerns this week that Russia could be trying to pry Alaska out of America’s hands.
“I think I can speak for all of us in the U.S. government to say that certainly he’s not getting it back,” Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, said at a Monday press briefing .
The comment followed a report from Russian state media TASS that suggested Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree setting up financing and research with the aim of taking back old territories. There is no specific mention of Alaska, but some have worried that Russia could be looking to nix the 1867 sale of the territory .
The U.S. has continued to back Ukraine as it attempts to fight off a continued Russian invasion.
The Russian president previously downplayed the sale of Alaska in public comments. In 2014 , he told Russians to “not get worked up about it” and called the sale “inexpensive.”