Trump Jr. repaid Russian oligarch for wedding expenses, Kremlin-linked figure says

Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev said Tuesday that Donald Trump Jr. has repaid money the businessman spent on the president's eldest son's wedding celebration in the Bahamas in May.

"Yes, he did," Kremlev told an International Boxing Association press conference in Istanbul, adding that Trump Jr. "did repay the money I spent on the present." However, Kremlev expressed ambivalence about the decision to reimburse him, saying he did not understand why the repayment was necessary.

"Frankly speaking, I do not understand why he decided to do so," Kremlev said through an interpreter. "There are all kinds of events organized by all kinds of people. It is as if I invite you to come and visit my country house. Would you expect me to issue an invoice to them afterward?" He characterized such an expectation as "ridiculous."

Kremlev, who maintains close connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin, had previously financed hundreds of thousands of dollars in wedding expenses for Trump Jr.'s May celebration when the president's son married socialite Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas. The financial arrangement had drawn scrutiny from international observers given the oligarch's proximity to the Russian leadership.