Trump's son spent two days hunting in Mongolia with a Russian oligarch

The eldest son of US President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr, went hunting in Mongolia at the end of August, where he may have spent several days in a camp with Kremlin-linked oligarch Umar Kremlev. The Financial Times established the circumstances of the trip on the basis of testimony from local guides and officials, flight data, social media posts and public documents.

Source: The Financial Times, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The meeting took place at the end of August. The FT notes that Kremlev flew to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar by charter plane from Kazakhstan, after which he travelled to Donald Trump Jr's hunting camp in the western part of the country.

Travelling alongside Kremlev was Russian businessman Arthur Martirosov, a partner in the US-sanctioned venture fund Voskhod. According to the FT, Trump Jr and Kremlev spent two days together, after which the Russian returned to Ulaanbaatar.

One of the local participants in the trip said that Trump Jr and Kremlev were careful not to be photographed together during their stay at Trump Jr's camp.

A spokesperson for Trump Jr stated that the men developed a personal friendship through a shared passion for hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation. According to him, they were introduced by a mutual acquaintance from the hunting community, and there are no business relations between them.

Quote from spokesperson for Trump Jr: "Don has made clear that he has a personal friendship, not a business relationship, with Umar. Their friendship is largely based on their shared love for hunting, fishing and the outdoors. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that they went hunting together earlier this year."

Details: Meanwhile, counterintelligence experts warn that contacts between members of the US president's family and individuals with ties to the Russian authorities could pose national security risks.

"It really doesn't matter if people have the most above board intentions. The moment the Russian security and intelligence services figure out someone has a relationship with anyone of high value, they will try to weaponise that," said Holden Triplette, who served as director of counterintelligence on the US National Security Council during Trump's first term.

During his stay in Mongolia, Trump Jr also hunted a rare Altai argali – an endangered wild sheep – and met with Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh.

For reference: The 43-year-old Kremlev is president of the International Boxing Association, an organisation headquartered in Lausanne that oversees international competitions and sets rules and standards in the sport. Prior to this, starting in 2017, he headed the Russian Boxing Federation.

Background:

• In early October, Kremlev claimed that Trump's son returned the money that the Russian spent on post-wedding celebrations organised by him as a gift.
• Earlier, US Attorney General Todd Blanche made it clear that he would not conduct an investigation into Trump Jr's wedding, which was partially funded by Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev.
• Members of President Donald Trump's family have flatly denied knowing Kremlev, while Democrats on Capitol Hill have promised to launch an investigation.

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