Putin gifted a portrait of Trump to the US president

MOSCOW: The Kremlin confirmed late on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has gifted to Donald Trump a portrait he commissioned of the US president.

Putin gave the painting to Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow earlier this month, the Russian president’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said in a response to a journalist’s question, declining further comment.The gift was first mentioned last week by Witkoff in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. During his interview with Carlson, Witkoff described Putin’s gift as “gracious” and recalled how Putin told him he had prayed for Trump last year when he heard the then-candidate for the US presidency had been shot at a rally in Pennsylvania. “He was praying for his friend,” Witkoff said, recounting Putin’s comments.