Donald Trump Jr.'s wife, Bettina Trump, has confirmed that their wedding in May was partially paid for by an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A post on her Instagram account, signed on behalf of the couple, said that two nights of their three-day wedding celebration on a private island in the Bahamas were partly financed by Umar Kremlyov, a Russian oligarch close to Putin.
The statement was released on Monday, after the investigative journalism portal ProPublika published an article stating that the Kremlin paid "hundreds of thousands of dollars" for the celebration.
Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, is a private citizen, so it is not illegal for him to accept gifts from foreign nationals, writes the BBC.
"Our dear friend Umar very generously organized two incredible nights of celebration for us AFTER our wedding. It was an extremely generous wedding gift from a friend, something we were and remain incredibly grateful for," the couple said in a statement.
However, organizations that monitor ethical standards have assessed that accepting lavish gifts from a person associated with a foreign head of state still creates the appearance of a conflict of interest for the president's son - even if he is not employed by the US government.
"People don't just give hundreds of thousands of dollars to some random acquaintance without wanting something in return," said Jordan Liebowitz, vice president of communications for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
"You can imagine how much [Putin] enjoys all this publicity about people from his circle getting closer to people from the president's circle."
According to ProPublica, the couple got married on a private island in the Bahamas and then held a two-day celebration on another island, which costs approximately $100.000 per night to rent. Kremlin also paid for other expenses for the celebration, including fireworks worth about $70.000, the report said.
Kremlev heads the International Boxing Association (IBA), an organization funded by the Russian state-controlled energy company Gazprom. The organization has been suspended by the International Olympic Committee, among other things, for failing to declare its ties to the Russian energy giant, the BBC reports.
Kremlev was part of a delegation that visited China with Putin earlier this year. The Russian president also awarded him the Order of Friendship, one of the country's highest honors, according to ProPublika.
A spokesman for Trump Jr. told the outlet that the president's son and the Kremlin are private friends and do not have a "business relationship."
An ally of Trump Jr. referred the BBC to a statement posted on Instagram.
The Kremlin's office said in a statement to ProPublica that "Mr. Kremlin and Mr. Trump Jr. have a friendly relationship," adding that the two met several years ago.
Kremlin was present at part of the wedding celebration, the portal reported. Other guests included one of the US president's daughters, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, who has participated in US diplomatic negotiations with Iran and Russia, as well as in the Middle East.
The Trump campaign and family have faced controversy over possible ties to Russia during the 2016 presidential election, leading to a special counsel investigation. During the campaign, Donald Trump Jr. arranged a meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian operative, who was the subject of extensive questioning during the investigation.
CREW's Liebowitz said that either the president, who is a billionaire, or Trump Jr. - whose fortune, according to Forbes, is estimated at $300 million - could have paid for the entire wedding to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
"His father is worth billions and could have paid the bill. Apparently they just didn't want to pay him," Libovic said. "They don't really care about the ethical implications."
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