Donald Trump Jr. and his wife admitted that a Russian billionaire close to Putin helped pay for their two-night wedding celebration in the Bahamas, saying it was a gift from a friend.
On 15 Sep 2026 GMT+7, foreign news agencies reported that Donald Trump Jr., son of President Donald Trump, and his wife Bettina Trump acknowledged that Umar Kremlev, a Russian billionaire and close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, covered part of the costs for their wedding celebration held last May.
The son of the president's confirmation came after the investigative news outlet ProPublica reported that Kremlev paid several hundred thousand dollars for the wedding festivities, which lasted three days on a private island in the Bahamas. He covered expenses for the two nights of celebration after the wedding ceremony, held on another private island with a rental cost of about $100,000 per night, approximately 3.2 million baht. Additionally, Kremlev was responsible for other costs including fireworks worth about $70,000, or around 2.2 million baht.
Meanwhile, a statement released via Bettina's Instagram account stated that Kremlev, who is a close friend of the couple, hosted the two nights of post-wedding celebrations. The couple considered this a very generous wedding gift from a friend and expressed their gratitude to Kremlev.
However, U.S. ethics watchdog groups questioned the potential conflict of interest image because accepting high-value gifts from individuals linked to foreign leaders might suggest the presidential family has close ties with figures connected to the Russian government. Although Trump Jr. is a private citizen and not a government official, so there is no law prohibiting acceptance of such gifts from foreign nationals.
Reports indicate that Kremlev is president of the International Boxing Association, which receives funding from Gazprom, a Russian government-supported energy company. The International Olympic Committee had previously suspended recognition of the boxing association partly due to its links with the Russian energy firm.
The relationship between the Trump family and Russia had been a major controversy during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, leading to a special prosecutor investigation. Trump Jr. had also arranged meetings with individuals linked to Russia at Trump Tower, which were thoroughly scrutinized during that investigation.
Source: BBC