Don Jr.’s ‘Dear Friend’ Banned From New Nation Over Putin Ties
The Russian oligarch paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for Trump’s wedding weekend in the Bahamas.
Cathal McNaughton/Reuters
A sanctioned Russian oligarch who bankrolled part of Donald Trump Jr.’s Bahamas wedding weekend has been banned from entering a NATO nation.
Latvia’s Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that the EU member state had imposed an indefinite entry ban on Umar Kremlev, 43, an international boxing figure with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Umar Kremlev’s presence at the first son’s wedding weekend puzzled other guests at the intimate event.
Kristina Solovyova/via Reuters
The ban also applies to Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, 41, the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer who came under fire this week for appearing in an ad backing the Russian dictator.
“The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, has decided to include Alexander Ovechkin and Umar Kremlev on the list of personae non gratae and to prohibit their entry into Latvia for an indefinite period,” the ministry said in a statement on X.
The ministry did not elaborate on why Kremlev and Ovechkin have been barred from the country.
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin supported Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party in a new campaign ad.
Timothy T. Ludwig/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The announcement came after ProPublica revealed on Monday that Kremlev, the head of the International Boxing Association, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on post-wedding celebrations for Donald Trump Jr., 48, and Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, 39.
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Kremlev reportedly paid to rent a private island where the couple shared their first dance. He also paid for a fireworks show and personally attended with other Russians, puzzling other guests at the event, which was largely attended by close family and friends.
Trump Jr. and his wife said their “dear friend Umar” had hosted two “incredible nights of celebrations” for them.
“It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful,” Bettina Trump said in a statement posted on Instagram following the investigation.
“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,” she wrote.
“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.”
Donald Trump Jr. was previously married to Vanessa Trump, with whom he has five children, and engaged to Kimberly Guilfoyle, whom his father chose as ambassador to Greece after their split.
Al Drago/Getty Images
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, is probing Kremlev’s involvement in the celebrations.
“The secretive and exorbitant gifts you have received as the son of a sitting U.S. President from a member of Putin’s inner circle raises serious national security and public corruption concerns,” Garcia wrote in a letter to Trump Jr.
“A Russian oligarch reportedly financing parts of a lavish wedding for the owner of multiple firms holding Department of Defense contracts is all the more disturbing,” the letter added.
Ukraine has sanctioned Kremlev, citing his ties with Putin. Kremlev does not appear on public U.S. sanction lists, ProPublica reported.
Kremlev’s press office told ProPublica that he and Trump Jr. had a “friendly relationship” and first met “a couple of years ago.”
Latvia’s foreign ministry also barred Ovechkin as he drew scrutiny for appearing in a campaign video for Putin’s ruling United Russia party.
Washington Capitals NHL star Alex Ovechkin has made headlines this week for his ties with Putin.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Ovechkin has maintained that he is anti-war, but said of Putin after the Ukraine war was launched in February 2022: “He’s my president, but I’m not in politics. I’m an athlete.”
“I’m Russian, and I support my country,” Ovechkin told reporters on Thursday. “I’m for peace and love, and I hope in the world it doesn’t matter who you are, I hope everybody understands, everybody wants peace and everybody hope everything is going to be okay in the world.”
“As soon as I’m done playing hockey, I’m probably going to stay there,” he added. “I’m gonna live there, my kids gonna live there, family. I’m for peace and love and I hope everything’s going to be OK.”
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