As the Russian president heads to US soil for a high-stakes summit, one question looms on social media: Could he theoretically be arrested upon arrival?

“The symbolism of Alaska would be a reminder of how it was possible for the United States and Russia for most of the 19th century to transcend their ideological and political differences and their expansionisms, to have warm, friendly cooperative relations,” says David S. Foglesong, a history professor at Rutgers University - New Brunswick.