Donald Trump Jr and Bettina Trump say Putin ally paid for some wedding festivities as a ‘gift’

Bettina Trump announced that part of their May wedding on a private Bahamian island was funded by Umar Kremlev, a Russian oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin. ProPublica reported that Kremlev paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for the three-day festivities. The couple stated that Kremlev "very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us" after the wedding, expressing their gratitude.

However, ethics groups raised concerns about the potential conflict of interest for Trump Jr. accepting such a large gift from someone associated with a foreign head of state. Kremlev, who runs the International Boxing Association funded by Gazprom, also paid for a $70,000 fireworks display. The Russian president honored Kremlev with the Order of Friendship earlier this year.

Kremlev's spokesperson confirmed a friendly relationship between Kremlev and Trump Jr., who referred to them as personal friends without a business connection. Other attendees included Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. The Trump campaign and family faced past controversy over potential Russia ties, including a meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian operative during the 2016 election.