The Kremlin is weighing offering President Donald Trump an opportunity to resurrect plans for a Trump Tower in Moscow—reviving a dream that fizzled out nearly a decade ago—according to an independent Russian newspaper.
Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin and the White House for comment by email.
Why It Matters
Long-time real-estate mogul Trump first explored the idea of building a Trump Tower near the Kremlin during a visit to Moscow in July 1987. In his memoir Art of the Deal published that year, he envisioned “a large luxury hotel across the street from the Kremlin in partnership with the Soviet government.” Those plans dissolved in January 2016 ahead of his first presidential run.
MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images
What To Know
Sources close to the Kremlin told the Moscow Times that Russian officials have discussed reviving Trump’s real-estate project in order to “lure” him into a “big deal” to restore bilateral relations.
Relations between Moscow and Washington have become severely strained due to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but have thawed since Trump was sworn into office in January.
The publication also reported that the Kremlin floated the idea of inviting Trump to a groundbreaking opening ceremony, anticipating it would generate significant media attention.
Following Trump’s victory in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Russian officials and analysts were allegedly tasked with exploring a wide range of potential “hooks” to appeal to him, while major state-linked corporations were instructed to prepare proposals for cooperation with the United States.
According to sources cited by the Moscow Times, companies such as Rosneft, Rosatom, Rusal, and Polyus Gold were involved in brainstorming plans. The Moscow Trump Tower plan stood out for its potential to be launched quickly.
“Speed, effect and spectacle are important here—everything that Trump intuitively values,” a source close to the Kremlin said.
Trump has said that the real-estate project was just a possibility his team were exploring during his first presidential bid.
“There was a good chance I wouldn’t have won,” the president previously told reporters. “And why should I lose lots of opportunities?”
The plans for a Trump property in Moscow were also mentioned in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s 448-page report into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said in a 2007 deposition: “Russia is one of the hottest places in the world for investment. We will be in Moscow at some point.”
What Happens Next
Meanwhile, Trump is working on securing a deal between Russia and Ukraine to bring the conflict to an end. “BOTH WILL THEN START TO DO BIG BUSINESS WITH THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WHICH IS THRIVING, AND MAKE A FORTUNE!” he wrote in a post on Truth Social on Sunday.
