US President Donald Trump has received a personal portrait from Russian President Vladimir Putin, just as he publicly criticised an existing painting of himself hanging in the Colorado State Capitol.
The Kremlin has not released an image of the new portrait, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirming it as a private gift. Meanwhile, Trump’s representative, Steve Witkoff, described it as a "beautiful portrait" by a renowned Russian artist and said the president was "clearly touched" by the gesture.
The timing of the gift coincides with US-Russia negotiations in Saudi Arabia aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. It also highlights the warming relations between Washington and Moscow since Trump’s return to the White House in January.
During an interview, Witkoff revealed that Putin was “gracious” during their meeting and even told him he had prayed for Trump following an assassination attempt against the US president last year. The incident, which left Trump with a bloodied ear at a Pennsylvania rally, was immortalised in a widely circulated photograph, later used as the cover image for one of his books.
While Trump has remained silent on Putin’s gift, he has made his feelings clear about another portrait—one displayed in Colorado. Writing on Truth Social, he denounced the 2019 artwork as “purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before.”
Interestingly, he contrasted it with another work by the same artist, Sarah Boardman, which depicted Barack Obama. Trump, in a rare moment of praise, admitted that Obama’s portrait "looked wonderful."
Trump’s remarks also carried political undertones, as he attacked Colorado Governor Jared Polis, calling him "radical" and "weak on crime." However, media reports clarified that the painting had no connection to Polis and was commissioned through a Republican-led crowdfunding campaign.
A spokesman for Polis responded to Trump’s comments with humour, stating that the governor was "surprised to learn the president is an aficionado of our Colorado State Capitol and its artwork."