Trump says son has paid back Putin ally for partly funding wedding festivities

President Donald Trump disclosed during a conversation in the Oval Office that his son, Donald Trump Jr., had reimbursed a Russian oligarch, Umar Kremlev, who was linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin, for contributing to the financing of the couple's wedding festivities in the Bahamas. Trump stated that such contributions to wedding parties are "totally allowed" and are "very common."

Following an investigation that reported Kremlev had paid "hundreds of thousands of dollars," the couple affirmed that Kremlev had funded two nights of their three-day celebration on a private island as a gift. However, Trump did not disclose how he verified that the payment had indeed been refunded. The BBC has not independently confirmed the payment's occurrence and has reached out to Trump Jr.

While it is not illegal for Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, to receive gifts from foreign nationals, ethics watchdog organizations argue that accepting an expensive gift from someone associated with a foreign head of state can create the perception of a conflict of interest, even if Trump Jr. is not a government employee.

President Trump's connections to Russia have been a topic of scrutiny since his 2016 presidential campaign, leading to a special counsel investigation into a meeting that included Trump Jr. with a Russian operative at Trump Tower.

Umar Kremlev operates the International Boxing Association (IBA), which is partially funded by the state-owned Gazprom energy company. The organization was initially suspended by the Olympic Committee due to its failure to disclose its ties to Gazprom. Kremlev is also a member of a delegation that visited China with Putin in May. He has been bestowed the Order of Friendship, a prestigious state honor, by the Russian president, according to ProPublica, which published an investigation on the wedding events.

Trump Jr.'s spokesperson informed the news outlet that the president's son and Kremlev were personal friends and did not have a "business relationship." Kremlev's office also told ProPublica that he and Trump Jr. had a "friendly relationship" following a few years of interaction.