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Putin’s Envoys Hand Alaska Man a New Ural After Viral TV Clip During Trump Summit

Russian state television presented the gift as a goodwill gesture tied to sanctions’ effects on consumers.

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Overview

  • A Russian embassy counsellor in the U.S., Andrei Ledenev, told Anchorage resident Mark Warren the motorcycle was a personal gift from President Vladimir Putin.
  • The olive‑green Ural with sidecar was delivered in an Anchorage hotel parking lot days after the Putin–Trump meeting, and Warren rode it for cameras; reports put its value at about $22,000.
  • The gesture followed a Rossiya 1 street interview in which Warren described difficulty sourcing parts for his older Ural, a clip that later went viral in Russia.
  • Ural says it moved assembly to Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan, after 2022 and distributes through its U.S. team in Washington state; paperwork seen by reporters showed a manufacture date of Aug. 12.
  • Warren acknowledged criticism over accepting the Kremlin‑linked gift but said he owes nothing in return and indicated he may sell his old bike once the new one is registered.