Trump Jr. Spent Two Days Hunting in Mongolia With Russian Boxing Chief, FT Reports

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of US President Donald Trump, went on a hunting trip to Mongolia at the end of August and may have spent several days at a camp with Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, according to the Financial Times. The newspaper reconstructed the trip from accounts given by local guides and officials, flight data, social media posts and public documents.

The FT reports that Kremlev flew by charter plane from Kazakhstan to the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar. From there he travelled to Trump Jr.'s hunting camp in the western part of the country. He was accompanied by Russian businessman Arthur Martirosov, a partner in Voskhod, a venture fund that is under US sanctions.

According to the report, Trump Jr. and Kremlev spent two days together before the Russian returned to Ulaanbaatar. One local participant in the trip told the newspaper that the two men took care not to be photographed together while at the camp.

A spokesperson for Trump Jr. said the pair share a personal friendship built on a love of hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation, and that a mutual acquaintance from the hunting community introduced them. He said there are no business ties between them. "Don has made clear that he has a personal friendship, not a business relationship, with Umar," the spokesperson said, adding that it "shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that they went hunting together earlier this year."

Counterintelligence specialists say such contacts can carry risks regardless of intent. Holden Triplette, who was director of counterintelligence on the US National Security Council during Trump's first term, told the FT: "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."

During the visit, Trump Jr. also hunted a rare Altai argali, an endangered wild sheep, and met Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh.

Kremlev is 43 and serves as president of the International Boxing Association, which is headquartered in Lausanne and oversees international competitions while setting rules and standards for the sport. Beginning in 2017, he led the Russian Boxing Federation.

The trip adds to earlier questions about the relationship. In early October, Kremlev claimed that Trump's son had returned, as a gift, the money the Russian spent on post-wedding celebrations he organised. US Attorney General Todd Blanche has made clear he will not investigate Trump Jr.'s wedding, which was partly funded by Kremlev. Members of the president's family have flatly denied knowing Kremlev, while Democrats on Capitol Hill have promised to launch an investigation.