Since Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, there has been intense scrutiny of his business empire and the potential conflicts of interest it presents.
One area that has received particular attention is the role of Russian oligarchs in Trump’s businesses. This article will explore the relationship between Trump and Russian oligarchs, and discuss the potential implications for Trump’s presidency.
Role Of Russian Oligarchs In Trump’s Business Empire
Felix Sater, a former Trump ally, a two-time felon, and lifelong government informant, is waiting for a drink in the rear of a New York City restaurant as it becomes late. He orders the waiter a “really nasty martini, Russian vodka.” “A martini of cooperation.”
Felix Sater is the only person outside of the Trump Organization with more direct knowledge of Donald Trump’s ties to Russia. He explored a potential business in Moscow in 2006 along with Don Jr. and Ivanka, the president’s kids.
He stood next to Trump in 2007 at the opening of the Trump SoHo hotel, which Sater had worked to get built and which sold some of its rooms to Russian customers.
Additionally, Sater participated in the design of a huge Trump tower in Moscow during the 2016 presidential campaign.
He raises his martini glass and exclaims, “Here’s to good times.”
Trump wasn’t going to invest a lot of his own money because he was now more of a licensor than a builder. Andrey Rozov, Trump’s designated partner, was not either, according to Sater, who mediated the deal that went the deepest into the campaign.
As opposed to that, according to Sater, he was developing a strategy to elicit sizable sums from new investors, including two of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, Arkady Rotenberg and Boris.
Another important, unanswered question is how much money Trump might have gained from all of this. Michael Cohen, a former Trump attorney, and Robert Mueller both made nebulous suggestions of “hundreds of millions.” after researching commercial contracts and polling Moscow real estate professionals.
If all went according to plan, it seems more likely that Trump would have walked away with about $35 million upfront and about $2.6 million in monthly fees.
According to Sater, Trump could have received roughly $50 million in the best-case scenario. While it may seem like a lot of money to most, it represents less than 2% of the president’s estimated net worth of $3.1 billion
We would have approached them and requested four or five hundred million dollars in cash, claims Sater.
Together, these facts offer a fresh perspective on Trump’s intentions in Russia and his approach to conducting business.
He made a contract with far higher risk and much lower reward than previously thought.
In other words, candidate Trump put his chances of becoming president in jeopardy by agreeing to a lousy deal that was tainted by Vladimir Putin.
People are perplexed by the Trump Tower Moscow story in part because there have been three unsuccessful attempts to link the president’s name to a Russian property in recent years.
The first is a result of the infamous 2013 Miss Universe pageant, in which 86 women paraded through a Moscow concert hall.
The pageant’s co-owner, Donald Trump, received an estimated $3 million from the local hosts, billionaire real estate mogul Aras Agalarov and his pop star son Emin.
Trump later tweeted, mentioning the senior Agalarov, “I had a terrific weekend with you and your family. “You did an OUTSTANDING job. The following is TRUMP TOWER-MOSCOW.”
The Trump Organization agreed to brand an Agalarov property in Moscow one month later, in December 2013, according to the Mueller investigation.
With 3.5% of sales going to Trump, the finalized plan provided for 800 apartments close to the music venue where the Miss Universe event was held.
Emin Agalarov calculates that Trump would have made about $17 million if the entire building had sold out.
Ivanka Trump visited the location in February 2014. However, the geopolitical environment was changing throughout that same month.
Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian president of Ukraine, was the target of protesters in Kyiv’s streets. Ultimately, he received assistance from Putin as he departed Ukraine.
Within a few weeks, Putin invaded Crimea, an area of Ukraine that borders Russia. In response to the international outcry over the land grab, the United States imposed economic penalties.
In Towergate, Who’s Who
A web of people, including First Family members, billionaires, and Russian officials, were involved in Trump’s ambitions for Moscow, with Donald Trump at one end and Vladimir Putin at the other.
During their discussion in November 2015, when Trump was still a candidate for president, Bill O’Reilly, a former Fox News star, questioned Donald Trump about his accommodative stance toward Russia.
Putin “doesn’t do deals,” O’Reilly said. He merely commands soldiers to cause mayhem and fire down aircraft.
He does what he has to do, trump responded.
The Trump Organization, which did not reply to demands for comment on this article, was privately talking about a second possible deal in Russia at the same time, which was unknown to the American public.
According to the Mueller investigation, Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen communicated with an individual by the name of Giorgi Rtskhiladze in September 2015, over a year after the Agalarov partnership broke up and with Trump now leading the Republican primary race.
In the former Soviet Union. Georgia and Kazakhstan, Cohen, and Rtskhiladze had previously collaborated on economic projects.
Articles You Might Enjoy Reading
How Do Russian Oligarchs Make Their Money?
Who Are The Top 10 Richest Russian Oligarchs?
Russian Oligarchs Cryptocurrency Investments