Russian President Vladimir Putin gifted U.S. President Donald Trump a portrait depicting Trump with a raised fist and blood streaming from his right ear, referencing the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last July. The painting was delivered to the White House by Steve Witkoff, the U.S. envoy for Ukraine and the Middle East, after a meeting in Moscow. Russian artist Nikas Safronov, who has previously painted Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Pope Francis, created the work. CNN provided an exclusive look at the portrait, which Safronov said was intended to show Trump's bravery and potentially bring the two countries together.
The gift comes amid ongoing U.S. efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, though tensions remain high. Trump later expressed frustration with Putin, accusing him of stalling and launching strikes on Kyiv. The portrait episode highlights the intersection of art and geopolitics, where a personal gift from a foreign leader can serve as a diplomatic gesture—but one that may quickly lose its effect. It also underscores how political portraiture can become a flashpoint, as seen in a separate incident where Trump publicly criticized another artist's portrait of him.