Trump's russia interest sparked in the soviet years: Trumps russia deals and links multiply

Financial Times





Trump’s Russian connections

Donald Trump’s ties to Russia are back under the spotlight after the CIA concluded that Moscow had interfered in November’s presidential election to help the Republican candidate win



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December 13, 2016 by Michael Stott and Catherine Belton

Trump's russia interest sparked in the soviet years

The Republican candidate’s links to Russia are a mix of bling, business and bluster spanning 30 years. This account in five sections traces Trump's fascination for Russia from its beginnings in Soviet times through deals done in the Putin era to Trump's appointment of a slew of Russia-connected advisers during the US presidential campaign. It concludes with outside views on Trump's long-standing Russia ties and the president-elect's own explanations.






Yuri Dubinin

A first contact from Moscow

In 1986 Soviet ambassador Yuri Dubinin sat next to Donald Trump at a New York lunch and they talked about Trump Tower. “One thing led to another, and now I’m talking about building a large luxury hotel across the street from the Kremlin in partnership with the Soviet government,” the tycoon recalled in his book Trump: The Art of the Deal. Trump flew to Moscow at Dubinin’s invitation to discuss the hotel project with the Soviet tourism agency.
Mikhail Gorbachev

No glasnost at Trump Tower

The hotel never materialised but Trump aides promised something even better: Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and his wife, Raisa, would tour Trump Tower during a 1988 visit to New York. Trump said Gorbachev wanted to see the building because “it’s become the hottest building in New York”. But the visit didn’t happen: the Gorbachevs visited other Manhattan landmarks and Trump rushed out of his tower to greet a lookalike of the Soviet leader.
Zurab Tsereteli

Russia’s Columbus seeks the new world

Trump’s Russia connections continued under Gorbachev’s successor, Boris Yeltsin. Trump attempted in 1997 to erect a giant bronze statue of Christopher Columbus donated by the Russian government at his development on the Hudson river. Taller than the Statue of Liberty, the artwork was crafted by Zurab Tsereteli, a close friend of the Moscow mayor. It ended up in Puerto Rico after several US cities refused to accept it.
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Trump’s russia deals and links multiply

As financial headaches cramped Trump’s style in the US, the property tycoon’s organisation stepped up efforts to win Russian business.....................