A portrait of President Donald Trump, commissioned by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been gifted to the US leader, the Kremlin has confirmed.
Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed the gift was given to Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, during a meeting in Moscow earlier in March.
Peskov declined to offer further details.
The existence of the portrait came to light in an interview between Witkoff and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Witkoff told Carlson that Trump was "clearly touched" by the "beautiful" painting.
Witkoff's meeting with Putin followed discussions with Russian officials regarding efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Ceasefire talks involving US and Russian officials continued in Saudi Arabia on Monday, following meetings with Ukrainian negotiators the previous day.
During his interview, Witkoff described Putin's gesture as "gracious" and recounted an anecdote shared by the Russian president.
Putin reportedly told Witkoff he had prayed for Trump in 2024 upon hearing reports he had been shot at a Pennsylvania rally where Trump was campaigning for the US presidency.
According to Witkoff, Putin said he "was praying for his friend."
News of the portrait comes after a painting of Trump, by Colorado artist Sarah Boardman, was removed from the Colorado State Capitol after the president complained it was “distorted” and “the worst”.
In 2018, Putin gave Trump a soccer ball that the Secret Service had checked for listening devices before Trump gave it to his son — a precaution that hearkened back to a Soviet-era gift to a US diplomat that turned out to be bugged.
In 1945, a carving of the Great Seal of the United States was given as a gift from Soviet school children to then-US Ambassador Averell Harriman. It hung in his office for six years, allowing the Soviet Union to eavesdrop on his conversations, until the State Department discovered that it contained a covert listening device.
It was not immediately known if the portrait Putin gave to Trump had been examined for bugs. The White House hasn't commented on the portrait.
Trump isn't 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 when they met at a summit in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2013, he reportedly sent then-President Barack Obama porcelain plates and espresso cups.
This apparently isn't the first portrait of a U.S. leader Putin has sent, either. In 2014, the Russia president reportedly sent to George H.W. Bush a portrait of the former president on his 90th birthday.
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