Trump Jr’s Bahamas wedding weekend bankrolled by Russian oligarch, Putin ally

Washington: The wife of US President Donald Trump’s eldest son has insisted there was nothing sinister about a controversial Russian oligarch paying for their recent wedding celebrations, after it was revealed that an ally of Vladimir Putin partially bankrolled the luxurious Bahamas weekend.

Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association, sponsored and attended the festivities that took place on two ultra-exclusive private islands in May when Donald Trump Jr married Bettina Anderson.

Donald Trump Jr and his wife Bettina travelled with the president to Ireland on the weekend.Getty ImagesThe gift was revealed by the US investigative journalism outlet ProPublica on Monday (US time) and confirmed by Anderson, now Bettina Trump, on social media.

“Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding,” she wrote on Instagram. “It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.”

According to ProPublica, which cites records and three sources familiar with the event, Kremlev contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to rent one of the private islands for a reception. He also funded a fireworks show, and his staff helped with event planning, ProPublica reported.

Bettina Trump indicated Kremlev did not attend the wedding ceremony itself, which she said was for family only.

The pair were married at a private ceremony in the Bahamas in May, followed by a lavish weekend of celebrations.Getty Images“The weekend that followed had actually been planned well in advance as a fun weekend with friends. It was 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 on Instagram.

“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.”

Photos from the weekend show guests, including Eric and Lara Trump, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, the president’s fourth child, Tiffany, and her husband, Michael Boulos, enjoying dinner, drinks, and dancing by the beach.

Umar Kremlev (right) with Vladimir Putin in 2022.SputnikA funfetti cake served over the weekend was flown in from Palm Beach in Florida, according to an authorised account of the wedding published by HELLO! magazine. Celebrations also featured a Bahamian roasted pig, a rum bar, a Junkanoo band and an extravagant fireworks display.

The president did not attend the wedding or the subsequent celebrations, saying it was “not good timing” for him as he was dealing with the Iran war. He cancelled a planned visit to his New Jersey golf club and spent the weekend at the White House instead.

Forbes magazine recently estimated Trump Jr’s wealth at more than $US300 million ($419 million), up from $US50 million in 2024, largely thanks to investments in crypto.

ProPublica estimated the bill footed by Kremlev was in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. A spokesperson for Kremlev told the publication that the Russian billionaire and Trump Jr were friends who met “a couple of years ago”.

Kremlev’s ties to the Kremlin appear substantial. In 2021, Putin reportedly appointed Kremlev’s company TsUPIS as the centralised owner and operator of sports betting in Russia. Two weeks ago, Kremlev became the owner of Russia’s largest car dealership, Rolf, which was seized by Putin at the end of 2023 and nationalised.

Kremlev’s International Boxing Association was excommunicated by the International Olympic Committee in 2023 over concerns about governance, finance and refereeing integrity. The IBA is financially dependent on the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom.

President Donald Trump’s closeness to Putin has been a recurring theme of his presidency. Despite once promising to end the war between Russia and Ukraine in a single day, Trump has been unable to do so – nor has he exerted significant pressure on Putin to stop fighting or curb his ambitions.

On Monday, he wrote on Truth Social that Ukraine had agreed to stop striking Russian energy infrastructure – a demand he made in previous days amid climbing diesel prices. “Russia has agreed to do so, likewise!” he said.

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