Putin: Alaska is Too Cold to Annex

Russian President Vladimir Putin quashed the possibility that Russia would annex Alaska while on a question-and-answer call-in show Thursday, adding that the former Russian colony is cold, too. Amid rising Russian nationalism after the president’s annexation of Crimea, Putin responded to an audience member’s suggestion of annexing Alaska during the televised national phone-in, asking, “Faina Ivanovna, my dear, why do you want Alaska?" Russia is a "northern country" and 70 percent of its territory lies in "Northern and extreme Northern regions," Putin said, according to Russian news agency RIA Novosti. "Is Alaska really in the Southern Hemisphere? It’s cold there, too. Let's not get hot-headed,” he added. Russia sold Alaska to the U.S. in 1867 for $7.2 million. “Who needs Alaska?” Putin added.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/17/vladimir-putin-annex-alaska_n_5166598.html
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/17/vladimir-putin-no-plans-invade-alaska/
http://www.echo.msk.ru/blog/echomsk/1302092-echo/ (video)