TRUMP The Russian Connection
US president met close friends of Putin to make deals He sold Miss Universe show and agreed on a new tower
exclusive Vegas shopping mall in Krasnogorsk, on the edge of Moscow, where you’ll find the Walk of Fame-style star bearing Trump’s signature.
And it is pristine, unlike the one dedicated to the former Apprentice star in Hollywood, vandalised in October.
One business associate, who asked not to be named, said: “He loved that visit. He thought he was going to make a breakthrough on the business front.”
“At the meal in Nobu he met some of the most senior business and political people in Russia – many of them close to Vladimir Putin.
“He was very close to some of the most powerful men in Russia.
“Trump tried very hard to make inroads here, but it didn’t take off and then his presidential campaign started and we can only guess he decided to be more careful.”
The billionaire met Herman Gref, the boss of Sberbank, Russia’s biggest bank, – Putin’s finance minister for more than six years.
He was also one of the sponsors of the Miss Universe contest.
Also present was Aras Agalarov, the owner of Crocus Group, one of the country’s largest companies, which also worked on the pageant.
In a recent interview, Gref said: “There was a good feeling from the meeting.
“He’s sensible, very lively in his responses, with a positive energy and a good attitude toward Russia.”
Agalarov said he gave Trump a tour of Moscow and they inspected several different sites.
He said: “We knew he had the idea of building Trump Tower in Moscow. We agreed, but nothing was signed.”
Trump was so convinced he was about to make a major financial killing through new deals he tweeted: “Trump Tower – Moscow is next.”
He said simply: “I know the Russians better than anybody.”
And, in a TV interview, he spoke fondly of his trip and said: “I was with the top-level people, both oligarchs and generals, and top of the government people. I can’t go further than that, but I met the top people, and the relationship was extraordinary.”
For years, Trump has been trying to make inroads into the Russian market seeing it as a “potential goldmine”.
He even tried to trademark some of his projects as far back as 1996.
And he is now such a popular figure in Russia, market stalls sell classic £13 souvenir dolls adorned with his image. With no sense of irony they are placed on the shelves right next to those of Stalin, Lenin and Putin himself.
Stall holder Sergei Smirnov said: “I have been working on this market since 1993. These dolls are very popular.”
Trump has spoken of his “respect” for “intelligent” president Putin, accused of interfering in the US election to ensure victory for “The Donald”.
And, as the US president bullies the media – banning CNN, the BBC and the New York Times from press meetings in favour of his right-wing friends – he is being compared with Putin, who exerts strict control over the press himself.
With the hacking probe and the president’s Washington team under scrutiny for their Moscow links, Trump may be in danger of losing his deadly game of Russian roulette.
If they are found to have conspired with the Kremlin over the election, there’s a chance that the results could be invalidated and might even end in Trump’s impeachment.