Donald Trump Jr. confirms Russian businessman funded post-wedding festivities

Donald Trump Jr's new wife, Bettina, has confirmed her May wedding weekend celebration was partially funded by a man with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a post on her Instagram page on Monday, Bettina Trump wrote that the man, Umar Kremlev, was a "dear friend", who "very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us AFTER our wedding".

The post was signed by the couple.

"It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful," it read.

ProPublica, a non-profit investigative website, reported earlier on Monday that the wedding between Donald Trump Jr and socialite Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas was heavily funded by Mr Kremlev, a Russian oligarch who heads the International Boxing Association.

ProPublica reported that Mr Kremlev "footed the bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars of wedding expenses", including to rent out one of two private islands where the three-day party was held and for a fireworks show.

In the post, Bettina Trump said that she and the US president's son were married in a private ceremony "surrounded ONLY by our family".

"The weekend that followed had actually been planned well in advance as a fun weekend with friends. It was never intended to be our wedding weekend. When our original wedding plans changed, we simply decided to get married before it and arrived at an already planned weekend as newlyweds.

"It's unfortunate that something so personal and happy can be recast as something political or sinister simply because of who someone is or where they come from.

Mr Putin recently recognised Mr Kremlev with the Order of Friendship, according to the International Boxing Association, and Mr Kremlev accompanied Mr Putin to China as part of a Russian delegation, according to the Chinese state media cited by the outlet.

Mr Trump missed his son's wedding ceremony in May, citing his "love of the United States" as a key reason to stay in Washington.

"While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., and the newest member of the Trump Family, his soon to be wife, Bettina, circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so," he said in a Truth Social post.

"Congratulations to Don and Bettina!" he wrote.