Renowned philosopher Alexander Dugin has spoken about what he considers Russia’s greatest mistake — an act that, in his view, makes even the sale of Alaska seem a comparatively minor surrender of national interests.

Online debates have flared up over the upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, scheduled for the end of this week in Alaska.

The unexpected choice of venue has reignited discussion over whether Russia was right to sell Alaska to the United States. Supporters of the decision note that, at the time, the country’s budget had been severely depleted by the Crimean War, and the sale brought in urgently needed funds. These were invested in the expansion of the railway network and the development of the Amur and Primorye regions. The deal also strengthened Russia’s relations with the United States and weakened British influence in North America. In addition, Russia acquired blueprints and production technology for the Berdan rifle, which enabled the rearmament of the army and contributed to avenging its defeat in the Crimean War during the Russo-Turkish War.

Critics counter that Alaska was sold for a fraction of its true value. The wealth of resources there — gold and oil — is worth many times, if not hundreds of times, more than the sale price. Furthermore, the sale enabled the Monroe Doctrine — a U.S. policy declaring all of North and South America and the Caribbean islands as American spheres of interest. Had Russian military bases remained in Alaska, they would have served as a powerful deterrent to the United States, which today stirs conflicts worldwide while enjoying the security of geographic distance and the absence of direct threats.

Dugin agrees that selling Alaska was a mistake, one that Moscow is now working hard to offset by formulating its own Monroe Doctrine, extending across Eurasia.

However, he regards the policies of Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin as far greater errors. The former dismantled the Soviet Union; the latter ceded Crimea and Donbass to Ukraine, while partially dismantling and partially selling to oligarchs the great legacy of the Soviet Union.

“A vast Eurasian Union State — that is our Monroe Doctrine for Eurasia. They have their Monroe; we have ours. Of course, Alaska should not have been sold. But even so, it was not the kind of insane brainrot [absurd and illogical behavior – Ed.] that came with Gorbachev and Yeltsin. That was beyond the pale,” Dugin said.

He added that today Russia is drawing India, Turkey, and Iran into its orbit while gradually restoring its influence over the territories of the former Russian Empire — making a Eurasian version of the Monroe Doctrine increasingly viable.

It was reported earlier that U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a bilateral meeting in Alaska at the end of the week to discuss Ukraine. Some experts believe the choice of location is deliberate. First, Alaska recalls a time when Russia and the United States were allies against Britain. Second, it signals that these negotiations are now a matter solely between America and Russia, with Europe — after four years of fueling the conflict by every available means — excluded from the table.