Confirmation came from the Kremlin on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin presented a portrait he had specially commissioned of U.S. President Donald Trump. Putin handed over the painting to Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, during a meeting in Moscow earlier this month, according to Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Russian president. When asked by a journalist, Peskov chose not to elaborate further on the matter.
News of the gift first emerged last week in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, where Witkoff mentioned that Trump had been moved by the portrait, describing it as “beautiful.” This exchange took place following discussions with Russian officials regarding efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Ceasefire negotiations continued in Saudi Arabia on Monday, with U.S. and Russian officials meeting Ukrainian representatives the day after.
In his conversation with Carlson, Witkoff praised the gesture from Putin as “courteous” and recounted how Putin had shared that he prayed for Trump after learning about an incident the previous year when Trump, then a presidential candidate, had been targeted in a shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania. Witkoff recounted Putin’s words, saying that Putin was praying for his ally.
This isn’t the first time Putin has offered a gift to a sitting U.S. president. In 2018, he gave then-President Trump a soccer ball that was screened by the Secret Service for listening devices before it was passed on to Trump’s son. This precaution was reminiscent of a Soviet-era incident where a gift to a U.S. diplomat was found to contain a hidden listening device.
The White House has not provided any comments concerning the portrait gifted by Putin to Trump, and there is no information available regarding whether the painting underwent a bug check. Putin has a history of presenting gifts to U.S. leaders, such as a $12,000 lacquer writing box and pen to then-President Joe Biden in 2021 and porcelain plates and espresso cups to then-President Barack Obama in 2013.
This recent portrait isn’t the first time Putin has sent artwork to a U.S. leader, as reports suggest that in 2014, he sent George H.W. Bush a portrait to commemorate the former president’s 90th birthday.
