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Trump Says Trump Jr. Will Reimburse Russian Oligarch for Wedding Expenses
Developing
In Short: U.S. President Donald Trump said his son, Donald Trump Jr., would reimburse Russian businessman Umar Kremlev for covering hundreds of thousands of dollars in wedding-related expenses.
Kremlev, described by the Trumps as a friend, traveled to China as part of a Russian business delegation during a visit by Putin shortly before the wedding celebrations.
The meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer and other Russians with ties to Putin took place at Trump Tower in June 2016 but did not yield any helpful information for the campaign, according to Mueller’s report.
In a statement posted to Instagram, the Trumps said Kremlev had hosted two nights of festivities after their private wedding as a gift.
Russian forces are responsible for the vast majority of sexual violence in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) announced in a new report.
Despite the growing warnings, NATO has not said that a Russian military attack on an alliance member is imminent.
What this adds
The news adds details about the extent of Kremlev's financial support for the wedding celebrations and his ties to the Russian government, including his recent award of the Order of Friendship.
Background
President Donald Trump said his son Donald Trump Jr. has reimbursed a Russian oligarch who funded part of his wedding celebrations.
A statement from Donald Trump Jr. and his wife Bettina revealed that a Russian oligarch with close ties to Putin funded part of their wedding festivities in the Bahamas.
What's still developing
- ProPublica reported that Umar Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in wedding-related expenses for the newlyweds and dozens of guests for festivities on a private island in the Bahamas that started a day after the ceremony.
- “It’s unfortunate that something so personal and happy can be recast as something political or sinister simply because of who someone is or where they come from. Friendship doesn’t require a political motive. Generosity doesn’t automatically come with an agenda. And sometimes a wedding gift is simply a wedding gift,” she wrote.
- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sept. 18 that his son, Donald Trump Jr., told him he would reimburse Russian businessman Umar Kremlev after Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars toward celebrations surrounding Trump Jr.'s wedding earlier this year.
- The comments came days after investigative outlet ProPublica reported that Kremlev, a Russian businessman with close ties to President Vladimir Putin, covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses connected to Trump Jr.'s wedding celebrations in the Bahamas in May.
- The reported expenses included renting a private island where guests stayed and a reception was held, as well as a fireworks display.
- Under Kremlev, the IBA received major financial backing from Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom, which became the organization's general partner in 2021.