Umar Kremlev, the Russian who runs the International Boxing Association, joined Donald Trump Jr at a Mongolian hunting camp for two days in late August, the Financial Times revealed in an Oct. 27, 2026 investigation. It is the latest dated entry in a Trump Jr Kremlev relationship that first became public on a boxing stage in Istanbul in 2025.
Where it stands: As of Oct. 28, both men describe a friendship and nothing more. Kremlev did not answer the FT’s questions about Mongolia; he told reporters on Oct. 6 that the two are friends united by sport.
Trump Jr’s spokesperson told the FT the bond is “a personal friendship, not a business relationship,” rooted in hunting and fishing, and said it “shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone” that the pair went hunting. No reporting has identified a business deal between them.
When did Trump Jr and Kremlev first meet?
Nobody agrees on the date. Four accounts are on record, and they do not line up.
- The FT calls a 2025 IBA event in Istanbul their “first known encounter.”
- Kremlev’s press office told ProPublica the two first met “a couple of years ago.”
- ProPublica wrote in September that the men “appear to have met only recently.”
- Rep. Robert Garcia’s letter to Trump Jr asserted that they had only met in September 2025.
Trump Jr’s side adds only that a mutual friend from hunting made the introduction. Neither man has given a date.
What is the full Trump Jr Kremlev timeline?
The public record runs from early 2025 to this week. The table lists each dated event with the outlet that reported it; entries sourced to a single outlet reflect that outlet’s reporting, though the couple later acknowledged the wedding gift themselves.
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 2025 | Kremlev’s open letter to the new president about the IOC | ProPublica |
| Sept. 2025 | Istanbul IBA forum: Trump Jr on stage with Kremlev | IBA; FT |
| Late Apr. 2026 | Putin gives Kremlev the Order of Friendship | NBC, citing IBA site |
| May 22-24, 2026 | Wedding; Kremlev pays for the two days after the ceremony | ProPublica |
| From Aug. 27, 2026 | Kremlev at Trump Jr’s Mongolian camp | FT |
| Sept. 14, 2026 | ProPublica story; Garcia letters; Trump: “no idea who Umar is” | ProPublica |
| Sept. 18, 2026 | Trump says his son repaid Kremlev | AP |
| Oct. 6, 2026 | Kremlev tells reporters the money came back | AP |
| Oct. 27, 2026 | FT publishes the Mongolia investigation | FT |
By the FT’s account, Kremlev’s visit to the camp began after his Aug. 27 flight, less than three weeks before ProPublica published its wedding story and before the public statements about the relationship that followed it.
What happened at the Istanbul boxing forum?
Their first public appearance together was on an IBA stage. At the IBA Sport + Business Forum in Istanbul in September 2025, Kremlev brought Trump Jr on stage alongside Manny Pacquiao, according to the IBA’s own release.
Trump Jr praised Kremlev’s push for fairness in boxing and said, in the IBA’s transcript, “I am proud to call Umar not only a leader but a friend.” Kremlev called him “my friend Donald Trump Jr.” The IBA’s promotional release added that “this alliance will not remain symbolic” but named no specific project, and Trump Jr’s spokesperson says there is no business relationship between the two.
The forum also featured Kaan Karakaya, a Turkish hunting organiser who, the FT says, has arranged Trump Jr’s trips to Mongolia; Kremlev gave him the title of official IBA representative for Türkiye, the IBA’s release said. Trump Jr’s spokesperson told ProPublica he was not paid for the appearance and was in Turkey for another event anyway.
What happened at the May 2026 wedding?
Kremlev attended the celebrations and paid for part of them. ProPublica reported that he covered “hundreds of thousands of dollars of wedding expenses” through a Dubai entity linked to the IBA, for the two days after the Bahamas ceremony he did not attend.
The couple called it a generous gift from a friend. The president first said on Sept. 14, “I have no idea who Umar is, never heard of him,” and on Sept. 18 that “as I understand it, he paid them back.” Kremlev said on Oct. 6, “He did repay the money I spent on the present.” No document showing repayment has been published. The details are in our report on the wedding payments.
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What happened in Mongolia in August 2026?
The two men spent two days at the same hunting camp, the FT reported. On Aug. 27 Kremlev went from an IBA media event in Kazakhstan to Ulaanbaatar by overnight charter, then headed west to Uvs province. He then left for an IBA fight in Yakutsk, Siberia, while Trump Jr stayed on for roughly another week to hunt ibex in Bayan-Ölgii province, according to the FT.
Separately, the embassy in the Mongolian capital ordered hotel rooms for a Secret Service “VISIT, 23 AUG – 6 SEP 2026,” according to a federal contract record. That entry names no protectee; it was the FT that linked it to Trump Jr. The full account is in our report on the Mongolia trip.
What is reported about Kremlev, and what does he deny?
Kremlev’s background is why each meeting draws attention. The FT says he has “close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s personal security service,” and reports, on the strength of leaked criminal files it obtained, an extortion and battery conviction from his young adult years. His press office told ProPublica he has “a completely clean legal record.”
Concern about the relationship is so far a matter of risk, not proof. ProPublica’s reporters have said they have “no specific evidence that Kremlev is operating on behalf of, like, the Russian security services.” Lawmakers’ responses are collected in our Congress reaction tracker, and other reported Russia-linked contacts around the family are in our 2026 roundup.
The earliest dated item in the record predates Istanbul: in January 2025, after the inauguration, Kremlev wrote to President Trump hoping to “make the Olympic movement great again,” ProPublica reported.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Donald Trump Jr meet Umar Kremlev?
Accounts differ. The FT calls a September 2025 IBA event in Istanbul their first known encounter. Kremlev’s press office told ProPublica they met a couple of years ago. According to Trump Jr’s spokesperson, the introduction came through a hunting friend they share.
Did the Mongolia hunt happen before or after the wedding story broke?
Before. The FT dates Kremlev’s arrival at the camp to Aug. 27, 2026. ProPublica’s report on the wedding payments was published on Sept. 14, 2026, and the FT revealed the hunt on Oct. 27.
Did Trump Jr get paid to appear with Kremlev in Istanbul?
No, according to his spokesperson, who told ProPublica there was no fee and that Trump Jr happened to be in Turkey for a separate event.
Are Trump Jr and Kremlev business partners?
Both sides say no. Trump Jr’s spokesperson describes friendship rather than business ties, and Kremlev has said they are simply friends united by sport. No reporting has identified a business deal between them.
Sources
- Inside Donald Trump Jr’s Mongolian hunting trip with a Kremlin-linked businessman — Financial Times, October 27, 2026
- A turning point for global sport: IBA President Umar Kremlev and Donald Trump Jr join forces — International Boxing Association, September 2025
- Donald Trump Jr.’s Bahamas Wedding Was Secretly Bankrolled by Russian Oligarch Close to Putin — ProPublica, September 14, 2026
- Top Oversight Dem Opens Investigation of Donald Trump Jr.’s Russian Oligarch-Funded Wedding — ProPublica, September 14, 2026
- The Russian Benefactor Who Funded Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding — ProPublica (Paper Trail podcast), September 2026
- Trump says his son’s wedding party being bankrolled by a Russian oligarch is ‘totally allowed’ — Associated Press (via Anchorage Daily News), September 19, 2026
- Russian oligarch says Donald Trump Jr. has paid him back for wedding celebration expenses — Associated Press (via Action News Jax), October 6, 2026
- Letter from Ranking Member Robert Garcia to Donald Trump Jr. — House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Democrats, September 14, 2026
- Donald Trump Jr. acknowledges Russian oligarch with ties to Putin hosted his lavish island wedding celebration — NBC News (via NBC Bay Area), September 14, 2026
- Purchase order 19MG1026P0228 — USAspending.gov (U.S. Treasury), signed August 20, 2026
This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; Donald Trump Class Action is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.