Why did Russia sell Alaska to the US instead of Canada?
But, after losing the Crimean War to Britain, France, and Turkey in 1856, the tsar was in no mood to negotiate with Great Britain or to see Alaska absorbed by a recent enemy. Russia thus turned to the only other potential buyer, the United States.
People Also Ask
Traveling Between Mainland Alaska and RussiaThe nearest points between mainland Alaska and Russia are the western tip of Cape Prince of Wales in Alaska and the Southern point of Cape Dezhnev in Russia — with a distance of roughly 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) between the two points.