Latest news with #MarkWarren
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Vladimir Putin brought a 'super cool' motorbike to his summit with Trump and gave it to me: 'I'm dumbfounded'
When Mark Warren, a 66-year-old Alaskan, was told Vladimir Putin intended to bring him a new motorbike he understandably thought it was a far-fetched scam. In fact, he thought it sounded 'bats**t crazy.' But, astonishingly, the Russian president did indeed bring a motorbike and sidecar to his summit with Donald Trump, and his officials then delivered it to Warren in a hotel parking lot in Anchorage. As publicity stunts go it was perhaps the most bizarre Putin has ever performed and Warren, a retired fire inspector, is still trying to make sense of it. 'I'm dumbfounded,' Warren told the Daily Mail. 'I guess I should probably write Putin a thank you letter or something. I haven't. I've been so busy it hasn't really sunk in yet. 'It's super cool, you know? I mean, it's just such a unique bike.' Warren, a retired fire inspector, was at pains to stress he did no 'nefarious' deals with Putin. He didn't ask for the bike. He doesn't know anyone in Russia. He wants Russia's war in Ukraine to end. The gift came about because Warren is a motorbike enthusiast who drives a Russian-made Ural bike, of which there are only a few dozen in Alaska. The vehicles have a long history and were used by Russia against invading Nazis in World War II. Putin has in the past ridden one himself. A Russian journalist, in town ahead of the summit, spotted Warren riding his bike on the streets of Anchorage, and they got chatting about how he was having problems with his starter and couldn't get a new one. A subsequent TV report about it went viral in Russia, and was clearly noticed by the Kremlin. The next thing he knew, Warren had Russian officials on the phone telling him not to worry, Putin was going to bring him a new bike. 'It was completely random,' Warren said. 'I own an older Ural motorcycle, and I was taking care of some business in Anchorage and driving through, I think it was the week before Putin came into town to meet with Trump at the Air Force Base. 'I was just driving, and two gentlemen stopped me at a stop sign, and they turned out to be Russian journalists, and they were interested in the bike because it is Russian. 'We had a conversation about the bike, I think that obviously they were filming it and recording me, which I was fine with, and we had a good conversation.' After the Russian TV segment 'exploded' Warren got several calls from Russian diplomats assuring him that they were not scamming him - Putin wanted to give him a new Ural. 'The bike flew in with Putin to the airport and then they had to figure out how to get it off the base,' he said. U.S. officials agreed to let the bike leave the scene of the summit, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The day after Putin left, Warren got another call inviting him to the Lakeview hotel in Anchorage, where the Russian delegation had been staying. Andrei Ledenev, a Russian diplomat was waiting with the bike and told him: 'This is a personal gift from the President of the Russian Federation.' 'It was just a formality of giving me the bike and saying that it was a gift from the Russian government and from Putin,' Warren told the Daily Mail. 'And, you know, I thanked him. And then one of the consulates got on the bike, and then they wanted me to run around, drive very slowly on the asphalt.' The bike Putin gave him was very similar to his old one but with some 'different trinkets.' He said the reason for the difficulty getting new parts was not sanctions, as might be assumed, but a lack of mechanics in Alaska who work on Urals. 'There's only one and he doesn't work on very much so you can kind of see the problem,' he said.. To get parts he has to go through a a company in Redmond, Washington, and they have to get it from Russia. Warren said he loves the Ural bikes but they are not for everybody. 'They only produce about 42 horsepower, which obviously is not a very aggressive bike. They are somewhat difficult to drive because of the sidecar. It's one more thing to worry about,' he said. 'If you take a right hand turn with the sidecar, that's on the right of the bike, you have to be cautious because if you turn too quickly, the sidecar will actually lift up. It's termed flying the chair. Pretty sporty, I gotta say. So the bike is kind of neat. It's unique.' 'The history of the bike is interesting because it was built off the platform of a BMW. It's got the old BMW boxer air cooled motor, and it's got quite a history. It was in World War II. Apparently they put machine gun turrets on it and used it in battle and all sorts of strange stuff. For sure, they turn heads wherever you go.' Paperwork that came with the bike showed it came off a factory line on August 12, The manufacturer's address was Sverdlosk, Russian Federation. Warren said he won't be riding it around Anchorage just yet. 'I won't ride it until I can get a title and insurance and everything. So it's under wraps in my outbuilding at my house until I can get it registered with the state of Alaska Department of Motor Vehicles and get insurance on it.'
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Vladimir Putin gifts 'dumbfounded' Alaska man a 'super cool' motorbike at summit visit with Donald Trump
When Mark Warren, 66, from Alaska, was told that Vladimir Putin intended to give him a new motorbike as a gift, he understandably thought it was a far-fetched scam - in fact, he thought it sounded 'bats*** crazy'! Astonishingly, the Russian president did indeed give the Anchorage resident a vehicle and adjoining sidecar following his summit with Donald Trump on August 15, which his officials delivered it to Warren in a local hotel's parking lot. The offering came about because motorbike enthusiast Warren drives a Russian-made Ural three-wheeler, of which there are only a few in Alaska, but a video of him complaining about how difficult he was finding it hard to obtain replacement parts. The vehicles have a long history and were used by Russia against invading Nazis in World War II. Putin has in the past been seen in the driving seat of one himself. As publicity stunts go it was perhaps the most bizarre one that Putin has ever performed - and Warren's still trying to make sense of it. He said: 'I'm dumbfounded. I guess I should probably write Putin a thank you letter or something. I haven't. I've been so busy it hasn't really sunk in yet. 'It's super cool, you know? I mean, it's just such a unique bike.' Warren was at pains to stress that he had not been part of any 'nefarious' deals with Putin - and he didn't ask for the bike. He also doesn't know anyone in Russia. Most importantly, Warren wants the nation's war in Ukraine to end. A Russian journalist, in Alaska before this month's summit, spotted Warren riding his bike on the streets of Anchorage, and they got chatting when he explained that he was having problems with his bike's starter and couldn't get a new one. A subsequent TV report about it went viral in Russia, and was clearly noticed by the Kremlin. The next thing he knew, Warren had Russian officials on the phone telling him not to worry, Putin was going to bring him a new bike. Warren said: 'It was completely random. I own an older Ural motorcycle, and I was taking care of some business in Anchorage and driving through - I think it was the week before Putin came into town to meet with Trump at the Air Force Base. 'I was just driving, and two gentlemen stopped me at a stop sign, and they turned out to be Russian journalists, and they were interested in the bike because it is Russian. 'We had a conversation about the bike, I think that obviously they were filming it and recording me, which I was fine with.' After the Russian TV segment 'exploded' Warren got several calls from Russian diplomats assuring him that they were not scamming him - Putin wanted to give him a new Ural. Warren said: 'The bike flew in with Putin to the airport and then they had to figure out how to get it off the base.' U.S. officials agreed to let the bike leave the scene of the summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The day after Putin left, Warren got another call inviting him to the Lakeview hotel in Anchorage, where the Russian delegation had been staying. Russian diplomat Andrei Ledenev was waiting with the bike, and told Warren: 'This is a personal gift from the President of the Russian Federation.' Warren said: 'It was just a formality of giving me the bike and saying that it was a gift from the Russian government and from Putin. And, you know, I thanked him. And then one of the consulates got on the bike, and then they wanted me to run around, drive very slowly on the asphalt.' The bike Putin gave him was very similar to his old one but with 'different trinkets'. He said the reason for the difficulty in getting new parts was not sanctions, as might be assumed, but a lack of mechanics in Alaska who work on that model of bike. Warren said: 'There's only one and he doesn't work on very much so you can kind of see the problem.' To get parts, the mechanic has to go through a company in Redmond, Washington, and they have to get it from Russia. Warren said he loves Ural bikes but they are not for everybody. He said: 'They only produce about 42 horsepower, which obviously is not a very aggressive bike. They are somewhat difficult to drive because of the sidecar. It's one more thing to worry about. 'If you take a right-hand turn with the sidecar, that's on the right of the bike, you have to be cautious because if you turn too quickly, the sidecar will actually lift up. It's termed "flying the chair". Pretty sporty, I gotta say. So the bike is kind of neat. It's unique.' Warren added: 'The history of the bike is interesting because it was built off the platform of a BMW. It's got the old BMW boxer air cooled motor, and it's got quite a history. It was in World War II. Apparently they put machine gun turrets on it and used it in battle and all sorts of strange stuff. For sure, they turn heads wherever you go.' Paperwork that came with the bike showed it came off a factory line on August 12, and the manufacturer's address was Sverdlovsk in the Russian Federation. Warren said he won't be riding it around Anchorage just yet: 'I won't ride it until I can get a title and insurance and everything. So it's under wraps in my outbuilding at my house until I can get it registered with the state of Alaska Department of Motor Vehicles and get insurance on it.'
News18
18 hours ago
- Automotive
- News18
Vladimir Putin Gifts Rs 19 Lakh Motorcycle To Alaska Man: 'You've Got To Be Joking Me'
Mark Warren received a $22,000 Ural Gear Up motorcycle from Vladimir Putin after his interview with a Russian TV crew went viral. An Alaska retiree may have emerged as the most unexpected winner of last week's high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mark Warren, a retired fire inspector from Anchorage, was handed the keys to a brand-new Ural Gear Up motorcycle with a sidecar- a gift from the Russian government- just days after his chance interview with a Russian television crew went viral. The $22,000 olive-green motorcycle, manufactured on August 12 and flown into Alaska ahead of the summit, was formally presented to Mark Warren through the Russian Embassy. Mark Warren's Viral Interview Mark Warren, already the owner of an older Ural motorcycle he bought from a neighbor, was running errands last week when a Russian TV crew spotted him. He agreed to a quick interview and mentioned the difficulties of finding spare parts for the Soviet-era-inspired bike. Two days before the Donald Trump-Vladimir Putin summit in Anchorage on August 15, Mark Warren got a call from the journalist in which he was told that he will be given a bike. Initially skeptical, Mark Warren assumed the offer was a scam but after the summit ended, he was directed to an Anchorage hotel parking lot, where six men he assumed to be Russians stood beside the new Ural. He recalled, 'I dropped my jaw. I went, 'You've got to be joking me.'" Reporters and a consular official photographed him with the motorcycle, even joining him on a slow ride around the lot for the cameras. While grateful, Mark Warren admitted to reservations about accepting the gift in the current political climate, saying, 'The only thing I worry about is being implicated in some nefarious Russian scheme. I don't want a bunch of haters coming after me that I got a Russian motorcycle. I don't want this for my family." Still, paperwork signed with the Russian embassy confirmed his ownership as he said, 'The obvious thing here is that it rolled off the showroom floor and slid into a jet within probably 24 hours." The Ural motorcycle brand, founded in Siberia in 1941, now assembles its bikes in Kazakhstan and distributes them from Washington state. view comments First Published: August 20, 2025, 21:05 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
Indian Express
18 hours ago
- Automotive
- Indian Express
The unlikeliest prize of the Trump-Putin summit: a motorcycle for an Alaska local
An Alaska man may have emerged as the unlikeliest winner of last week's high-stakes Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage — walking away with a brand-new motorcycle, courtesy of the Russian government. Mark Warren, a retired Anchorage fire inspector, received a Ural Gear Up motorcycle with a sidecar after a Russian TV crew's interview with him went viral. Warren, already the owner of an older Ural, had told the crew he struggled to find parts for the bike due to supply issues. 'They just interviewed some old guy on a Ural, and for some reason they think it's cool,' Warren said, Associated Press reported. 'It went viral, it went crazy, and I have no idea why, because I'm really just a super-duper normal guy.' Two days before the Trump-Putin summit on August 15, Warren got a call from the Russian journalist telling him, 'They've decided to give you a bike.' At first, he thought it was a scam. But the day after the leaders departed Anchorage, he was directed to an Anchorage hotel parking lot where six Russians presented him with the olive-green motorcycle, valued at $22,000. 'I dropped my jaw,' Warren said. 'I went, 'You've got to be joking me.'' The bike, manufactured just a day before it was shipped, arrived through the Russian Embassy in the US. All the Russians asked in return was a photo and a short interview. Warren joked, 'If they want something from me, they're gonna be sorely disappointed.' While delighted with the gift, he admitted some unease. 'I don't want a bunch of haters coming after me that I got a Russian motorcycle. I don't want this for my family.' (With Inputs from Associated Press)
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Putin Stuns Alaska Man With Unexpected Gift After Summit With Trump
Russian president Vladimir Putin gifted a motorcycle to an Alaska man. One T.V. segment lead the way to a brand-new ride for Mark Warren. The 66-year-old first grabbed attention of two Russian reporters when he was riding Russia-made Ural bike around Anchorage a week before Alaska summit. The journalists stopped and chatted him up for a story, which then quickly went viral. Warren and his bike became a sensation in Russia and reportedly grabbed Putin's personal attention. What followed was 'bat**** crazy'- Read More
