WASHINGTON — President Trump said Friday that his eldest son, Don Jr., had paid back a Russian oligarch who footed the bill for the younger Trump’s wedding festivities earlier this year.
“It’s totally allowed, and a lot of people have parties, but it’s totally allowed,” Trump said of the favor given by Umar Kremlev, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “But as I understand it, he paid him back. He didn’t want to have that, so I hear he paid him back.”
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Post that Kremlev had been made whole, but did not specify an amount.
“I’ve given wedding parties to numerous people,” Trump went on. “They get married. I give them a party. I give them parties at beautiful places like Mar-a-Lago and others. But I’ve given many. With all of that being said, I understand that Don’s paid him back.”
Earlier this week, ProPublica reported that Kremlev, best known as the head of the International Boxing Association, covered the cost of several expenses related to the May 21 nuptials of Trump Jr., and his now-wife, Bettina, on a private island in the Bahamas — including paying for an additional private island to host the reception as well as a fireworks show.
Bettina Trump defended the arrangement earlier this week, saying Kremlev was merely acting as a “close friend” when he footed the bill.
“Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful.”
The president, first lady Melania Trump and their son, Barron, did not attend.
However, President Trump’s other children, Eric, Ivanka and Tiffany, were among about 50 guests at the destination wedding — including Kremlev.
Kremlev, 43, had been with Putin on a state visit to China just days before the wedding.
Kremlev is also tied to an organization called Healthy Fatherland, which is run by his wife’s twin sister. The group is under Ukrainian sanctions for allegedly helping abduct children from occupied territories and relocating them in Russia.
Ukraine has also personally sanctioned Kremlev for his ties to Putin, who presented the oligarch with the Medal of the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” in March 2020.
Bettina further claimed that the weekend getaway that followed the family-only ceremony had already been set-up for them when they arrived.
“It was never intended to be our wedding weekend. When our original wedding plans changed, we simply decided to get married before it and arrived at an already planned weekend as newlyweds,” she wrote.
“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,” added Bettina, whose initially hoped to get married at the White House.
“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.”
Bettina said she would “never be embarrassed or apologetic about being grateful” for her and her husband’s “wonderful friends from all over the world.”
