Trump Jr. went hunting in Mongolia with a Putin-linked oligarch — FT

Donald Trump Jr., the son of the U.S. president, spent two days hunting in Mongolia together with Umar Kremlev, a Russian businessman with ties to the inner circle of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Financial Times reports, according to UNN.

Details

According to the publication, at the end of August Donald Trump Jr. flew to Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, and from there traveled to a hunting camp in Uvs Province. On August 27, Umar Kremlev, a convicted oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin’s personal security service, flew to Ulaanbaatar on a charter plane and joined the group.

"One of the guides said that during the trip Trump Jr. killed an Altai argali — an endangered species of sheep valued for its enormous horns. Since 2019, the president’s son has hunted argali in Mongolia at least twice more. A still from the 2022 short film "Lost in Mongolia," in which Donald Trump Jr., on the right, shoots an Altai argali during a previous trip," the publication writes.

"Don made it clear that he has a personal friendship with Umar, not a business relationship," a representative for Trump Jr. said.

He also added that they were introduced by a mutual friend from the hunting community.

"Their friendship is largely based on a shared love of hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation. It should not be surprising that earlier this year they went hunting together," the representative noted.

Who is Kremlev and why the trip attracted attention

Umar Lutfulloyev, better known as Umar Kremlev, has headed IBA since 2020. Before that, he ran Russia’s boxing federation, and during his presidency the international organization received significant sponsorship funding from the Russian state-owned company "Gazprom." In May this year, Kremlev was also part of Putin’s delegation during his visit to China. According to the Financial Times, Kremlev was also convicted of extortion and assault at a young age.

"In 2010, he changed his Tajik surname to the more Russian-sounding Kremlev, which means "one who belongs to the Kremlin." After that, he began a new phase of his life as a successful boxing promoter, building connections among biker gangs, the police, and later the highest circles of the security services," the publication writes.

Journalists also established that he was accompanied during the trip by Artur Martirosov, a Russian businessman and partner at the venture capital fund Voskhod, which is under U.S. sanctions.

"The meeting in Mongolia took place after Kremlev attended Trump Jr.’s wedding celebrations in May on a private Caribbean island and paid some of the expenses. ProPublica was the first to report on the Russian’s role in Trump Jr.’s wedding. The president later said that his son had repaid Kremlev," the publication writes.

At the same time, according to the publication, intelligence experts believe that such ties could become an object of Russian propaganda.

"In reality, it does not matter whether people have the best intentions. As soon as Russian security and intelligence services learn that someone has a relationship with a person who is of significant interest to them, they will try to use it for their own purposes," said Golden Triplett, who served as director of counterintelligence at the U.S. National Security Council during Donald Trump’s first presidential term.

After the hunt, Trump Jr. also met with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh.

"A government representative posted photographs on Facebook and wrote that they discussed relations between the United States and Mongolia, as well as potential business opportunities. The post was soon deleted. A representative for Trump Jr. said the meeting was informal and primarily concerned outdoor recreation," the publication writes.

"The president held an informal meeting and had lunch with Trump’s son. Relations are in fairly good shape. They did not discuss politics or official visits," a representative for Khurelsukh said.

We remind you

In the United States, a Republican senator asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to subpoena Donald Trump Jr., the son of the U.S. president, to testify following reports that part of the expenses for his wedding were paid by a Russian oligarch with ties to Kremlin head Vladimir Putin.