A Russian businessman with close ties to Vladimir Putin reportedly helped pay hundreds of thousands of dollars towards Donald Trump Jr’s wedding to Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas, including the hire of a private island and a fireworks display.
ProPublica reports that Umar Kremlev, head of the International Boxing Association, contributed to the three-day celebration in May. The event was held across two private islands and included accommodation for guests and a reception.
The lavish arrangements reportedly involved helicopters and seaplanes transporting guests, while a five-tier wedding cake was flown in from Florida.
Kremlev is said to have been among about 50 people at the celebration, arriving with a sizeable group of other Russian guests.
His links to the Russian government have drawn particular attention. ProPublica reports that Putin awarded Kremlev Russia’s Order of Friendship one month before the wedding, and that Kremlev had been with Putin in China shortly before the event.
Trump Jr’s representative did not dispute that Kremlev helped fund the festivities. The representative said the pair were personal friends who met through a mutual acquaintance in the hunting world and shared interests in boxing and the outdoors.
The spokesperson also insisted that Kremlev was not a business associate of Trump Jr.
The reason Kremlev reportedly paid towards the wedding remains unclear. He is said to have covered the private island rental and other costly elements of the celebration, including the fireworks.
