Kremlin insider Uman Kremlev helped pay for Trump Jr.'s wedding, couple confirms

Donald Trump Jr.’s son’s wedding was funded by a Russian oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the newlyweds confirmed in a Monday post on Instagram.

In the post, Bettina Trump wrote that the couple’s “dear friend,” Umar Kremlev, paid for two parties after the wedding.

“It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful,” the post read.

Who is Umar Kremlev, Putin associate?

Kremlev, a businessman and the current president of the International Boxing Association, has boasted increasingly close ties to Putin over the years. He recently accompanied the Kremlin chief to China as part of Russia’s delegation, and was awarded the Order of Friendship, an official state award given to those who help Russia bolster international ties.

On Monday, ProPublica reported that Kremlev paid for hundreds of thousands of dollars of the wedding expenses. The report cited interviews with three people familiar with the event, along with other records.

ProPublica reported that Kremlev paid for the Trumps to rent out one of the two private islands used for the event, as well as other costly events, such as the fireworks show. His team reportedly helped plan the event, and the payments came from an IBA-affiliated entity in Dubai.

In the post, Bettina Trump wrote that the couple “got married privately on Friday, surrounded ONLY by our family.”

Trump Jr. corroborated this on his podcast, saying that the wedding “was really small, like, just really close friends.”

ProPublica reported that the guest list of 50 people included Kremlev, who was part of a group that sometimes spoke Russian.

The report noted that he speaks limited English and that his presence confused some of the other guests.

Bettina Trump added that the events were “never intended to be our wedding weekend.”

“When our original wedding plans changed, we simply decided to get married before it and arrived at an already planned weekend as newlyweds.”

She wrote that Kremlev hosted two nights of parties after the Friday weekend, which was an “extraordinarily generous wedding gift.”

“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,” Bettina Trump wrote.

ProPublica noted that Kremlev’s gift to the Trumps is a remarkable development in the Kremlin’s relationship with the US: a member of Putin’s circle gained close access to the presidential family and is financially supporting their endeavors.

In response to a request for comment from ProPublica, a spokesperson for Trump Jr. said that “Umar is a personal friend of Don,” and that he is “not someone he has a business relationship with.” The spokesperson added that the two bonded over their shared love of boxing.

However, a spokesperson for Eric Trump told ProPublica that “Eric has absolutely no clue who this person [Kremlev] is, nor has he ever heard his name.”

Kremlev’s press office told ProPublica that “Mr. Kremlev and Mr. Trump Jr. have a friendly relationship” and that the pair met “a couple of years ago.”

The press office added that “Mr. Kremlev has never discussed political matters with any of his American friends and acquaintances.”