Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, with ties to Vladimir Putin, reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to help finance the wedding of Donald Trump Jr., the son of US President Donald Trump, held on two private islands in the Bahamas. Kremlev, who has longstanding ties to Moscow, financed the event through a Dubai-based company, according to a ProPublica report, citing documents and interviews with three anonymous sources.
Trump Jr.'s spokesperson said Kremlev is a "personal friend," while Eric Trump claimed not to know him. The oligarch paid for the rental of private islands and other expenses, such as the fireworks display and event organization. Trump Jr.'s wedding to Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson in May was attended by approximately 50 guests, including Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump, and her husband Michael Boulos. The presence of Kremlev and his associates was therefore even more unusual in the eyes of the other guests.
President Trump did not attend. A few days before the wedding, Kremlev was part of Putin's delegation to China; earlier this year, the Russian leader awarded him the Order of Friendship and sanctioned him by Ukraine due to his ties to the tsar. Kremlev's office said that Trump Jr. "has a friendly relationship" with the oligarch and that "they met a couple of years ago."
In September 2025, the US president's son attended a debate in Istanbul at the International Boxing Association (IBA) alongside Kremlev, who heads the organization, which is supported by the state-controlled Russian energy giant Gazprom. In addition to his ties to Putin through the IBA, Kremlev maintains multiple relationships with the Russian government: the Kremlin leader has entrusted one of Kremlev's companies with managing the national lottery.
(Unioneonline)
