Putin presents Trump with a portrait
Putin handed the painting to Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow earlier this month, as confirmed by Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in response to a journalist's inquiry, though no further details were provided
The Kremlin confirmed on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has presented US President Donald Trump with a portrait he commissioned of him.
Putin handed the painting to Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow earlier this month, as confirmed by Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in response to a journalist's inquiry, though no further details were provided.
Witkoff first mentioned the gift during an interview last week with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, stating that Trump was "clearly touched" by the portrait, which he described as "beautiful."
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Witkoff had met Putin following discussions with Russian officials about efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Ceasefire talks continued on Monday in Saudi Arabia, where US officials engaged with their Russian counterparts after talks with Ukrainian negotiators.
During his interview with Carlson, Witkoff described the gift as "gracious," recalling that Putin had told him he prayed for Trump last year when he learned the then-presidential candidate had been shot at a rally in Pennsylvania. "He was praying for his friend," Witkoff said, recounting Putin's remarks.
In 2018, Putin had given then-President Trump a soccer ball that was checked by the Secret Service for listening devices before it was given to Trump's son—a precaution echoing a Soviet-era gift to a US diplomat that was later found to be bugged.
In 1945, Soviet school children gifted a carving of the Great Seal of the United States to then-US Ambassador Averell Harriman. It hung in his office for six years, allowing the Soviet Union to spy on his conversations until the State Department discovered the device.
It is not yet clear whether the portrait given to Trump by Putin was checked for bugs. The White House has not commented on the gift.
Trump is not the first sitting president to receive a gift from Putin. In 2021, Putin gave then-President Joe Biden a $12,000 lacquer writing box and pen during their summit in Geneva. In 2013, he reportedly gave then-President Barack Obama porcelain plates and espresso cups.
This is not the first portrait of a US leader that Putin has sent. In 2014, the Russian president reportedly gifted former President George H.W. Bush a portrait of him on his 90th birthday.
