The Best Man
What Umar Kremlev's wedding gift tells us about the people negotiating Ukraine's future
By Our Brussels Correspondent
On 24 May 2026, Donald Trump Jr., son of the President of the United States, married Bettina Anderson in a private family ceremony in the Bahamas, after which the couple hosted three days of celebrations on a private island rented for approximately $100,000 a night. There were fireworks launched from a barge, estimated at $70,000, and approximately fifty guests, among them the groom's brother Eric Trump and his brother-in-law Jared Kushner. A large group of Russian-speaking attendees was also present, whose appearance surprised several other guests. Some of Trump Jr.'s longtime friends did not receive invitations. The celebrations cost several hundred thousand dollars. A significant portion of those costs — the rental of the private island, the fireworks, and other expenses — were paid not by the groom but by Umar Kremlev, a Russian businessman whom Trump Jr. has described as "a personal friend." Trump Jr.'s own fortune is estimated by Forbes at $300 million. According to financial records reviewed by ProPublica, the payments came from a Dubai-registered entity affiliated with the International Boxing Association, of which Kremlev is president. Trump Jr.'s wife subsequently confirmed Kremlev's role, describing his contribution as "an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend." Eric Trump, who attended the celebrations, subsequently said he had never heard of Kremlev.
Umar Kremlev was born Umar Lutfulloyev in the late 1970s and has a criminal record in Russia for extortion and battery. He changed his name to Kremlev in 2010. He subsequently joined the Night Wolves, a Russian government-backed motorcycle gang whose members have participated in military operations in eastern Ukraine. He became close to Alexei Rubezhnoi, who now leads Vladimir Putin's presidential security service. In 2017, Rubezhnoi personally intervened to install Kremlev as head of the Russian Boxing Federation. In 2020, Kremlev became president of the International Boxing Association, which he refinanced through Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy company. In 2023, the International Olympic Committee stripped the IBA of its right to organise Olympic boxing tournaments, citing a lack of transparency and governance failures. In June 2026, Putin bestowed on Kremlev the Order of Friendship, a state honour. In the days immediately before Trump Jr.'s wedding celebrations, Kremlev was in China as part of the delegation accompanying Putin on a state visit. The Ukrainian government has imposed personal sanctions on Kremlev, citing his closeness to Putin and Russian security services.
Among the approximately fifty guests at the celebrations was Jared Kushner, Trump Jr.'s brother-in-law. Kushner is currently serving as an informal but active adviser to the Trump administration on its negotiations with Russia over a settlement to the war in Ukraine. He has met with Russian officials on multiple occasions in this capacity. He attended the celebrations on the island that Kremlev paid to rent. He has not commented on Kremlev's financial contribution to the event. The White House has not commented on whether Kushner's attendance at celebrations funded by a Putin associate who is sanctioned by Ukraine has been considered relevant to his role in the Ukraine negotiations. This publication asked. It had not received a response at the time of going to press.
European governments are currently engaged in diplomatic efforts to support a just and lasting settlement to Russia's war against Ukraine. Those efforts are coordinated in part through the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who has met with American counterparts on multiple occasions to discuss the parameters of any agreement. Those American counterparts include officials of an administration whose senior members attended celebrations funded by a man the Ukrainian government has sanctioned for his closeness to Putin and Russian security services. That man received a state honour from Vladimir Putin eleven days before flying to the Bahamas to attend the event. The Commission has not commented on Kremlev's role at the celebrations. The High Representative has not commented. The situation is being monitored.
This publication can report one further fact. At the time of the celebrations, Kremlev was reportedly concerned about being targeted by American sanctions, having watched the United States indict Russian oligarchs and seize their assets following the invasion of Ukraine. He had moved significant IBA operations from Switzerland to Dubai partly in response to this concern. He has not appeared on US sanctions lists. He has, since the celebrations, announced that his relationship with Trump Jr. will not "remain symbolic" and that "more joint initiatives will follow." The International Criminal Court, whose chief prosecutor has been sanctioned by the United States and whose funding is under active threat from Washington, last investigated allegations against American officials in 2020. The Commission has expressed concern about the ICC's situation. One document has been issued. It described the situation as being monitored. The Hybrid Fusion Cell, one recalls, is, thankfully, also monitoring.