Donald Trump Jr. swore the Russian oligarch who bankrolled his wedding was just a friend. Now two sources say that oligarch, a Putin favorite, told them the two sat down in Kazakhstan this year for business meetings. Kazakhstan is the same country where the Trump sons hold a stake in a mining venture backed by up to $1.6 billion in US government financing. The Republican first family’s Russia problem is back.
The Kazakhstan Meetings
The oligarch is Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association. Two people who know him independently told Important Stories that Kremlev said he and Don Jr. met in Kazakhstan to discuss business deals earlier this year.
Kremlev called them “business meetings,” according to the sources. Both spoke anonymously for their safety. They did not say what deals were on the table.
Don Jr. has never hidden the friendship. In 2025 he stood on stage with Kremlev at a boxing association meeting in Istanbul and called him a leader and a friend.
The Wedding Bill
In September, ProPublica revealed that Kremlev secretly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars toward Don Jr.’s May wedding weekend in the Bahamas. He rented out a private island that goes for about $100,000 a night, for multiple nights. He covered the fireworks show. His team helped plan the party.
The money came through a Dubai entity tied to his boxing association, which Russian state energy giant Gazprom has financed.
After the story broke, Don Jr. and his wife thanked “our dear friend” Umar on Instagram for hosting two nights of festivities. At the time, his spokesperson told ProPublica Kremlev was not a business partner.
Putin’s Guy
Kremlev is not some random rich fan. In April, Vladimir Putin personally awarded him the Order of Friendship, a high state honor. Days before Don Jr.’s wedding, he traveled to China in Putin’s delegation, according to Chinese state media.
Ukraine has sanctioned Kremlev personally, citing his closeness to Putin and Russian security services. He does not appear on public US sanctions lists. A former boxing association board member told ProPublica, “Umar is guided by Putin.”
The OCCRP sources say he rides in official Rosgvardia vehicles with armed guards. That level of protection is reserved for top officials and people Putin designates.
The Rap Sheet
The independent Russian outlet Proekt reported in 2024 that Kremlev owes his business empire to a powerful friend: Alexei Rubezhnoi, the head of Putin’s personal security service.
Proekt also reported that Kremlev, born Umar Lutfulloyev in Tajikistan, was convicted of extortion in 2004 and battery in 2007 before changing his name in 2010. OCCRP says leaked law enforcement databases confirm this. His press office told ProPublica his legal record is completely clean.
After Rubezhnoi took over Russia’s boxing federation in 2017, Kremlev rose fast. He bought the country’s largest car dealership from the state, and a company he co-owned became Russia’s exclusive payments platform for sports betting by Putin’s designation.
The Kazakhstan Money
Here’s why the location matters. The Financial Times reported that Don Jr. and Eric Trump took a stake in a construction company called Skyline Builders in 2025. Skyline then bought 20 percent of Kaz Resources, a company built to mine one of the world’s largest tungsten deposits in central Kazakhstan.
Six days later, the US and Kazakh governments announced a deal giving a company in that investment group access to the deposits. Two federal agencies, the Export-Import Bank and the Development Finance Corporation, then signaled up to $1.6 billion in financing for the project.
So the president’s sons have money riding on Kazakhstan, backed by US taxpayer financing. And a Putin-decorated oligarch reportedly went there to talk deals with one of them.
What They Say
A spokesperson for Don Jr. told Important Stories the two are personal friends who have never done any business deals together and have no plans to.
Kremlev did not respond to questions. An assistant said she could not comment.
The Bottom Line
The son of a Republican president let a Putin ally pay for his wedding, called him a friend, and now reportedly met him in the one country where the Trump sons are cashing in on a $1.6 billion government-backed mining deal. Don Jr. says it’s all friendship. After Trump Tower 2016, nobody should take a Trump’s word on Russian “friends” again.
Sources: OCCRP and Important Stories; ProPublica (Justin Elliott, Brett Murphy, Joshua Kaplan, Alex Mierjeski); Financial Times via bne IntelliNews; USA Today; France 24.