Latest news with #Ural
Daily Mirror
24 minutes ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Alaska man handed 'personal gift' from Putin after complaint over motorbike
With the US and Russia due to sit down again in an attempt to try and find a solution for the Ukranian War, a motorcycle has taken the centre stage of international relations Russian president Vladimir Putin has gifted an American man a Russian motorcycle after the Alaskan had complained to reporters that sanctions were making it difficult for him to get parts for his own model. An employee of the Russian embassy in the United States handed local man Mark Warren the keys to a new Ural motorcycle in the parking lot of the Anchorage Hotel. The Russian delegation were staying there ahead of the Russia-United States summit. The retired fire inspector said he is well aware that some people are disgusted he took an expensive gift from the Russian leader whose employee handed it over and told Mr Warren the bike was: 'a personal gift from the President of the Russian Federation.' The new khaki green Ural bike is valued at about $22,000 (£16,310) but its recipient was undeterred by the scrutiny of others and willingly accepted it despite the fact the Russian government is under U.S. Sanctions. Putin is also wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Ukraine and has an open warrant for his arrest. Mr Warren said: "I p***ed off all sorts of people. I took it. I could have not taken it, and probably p***ed off just as many people as doing that. I don't care.' The motorcyclist said he understood that people took a dim view of the Russian leader but told Anchorage Daily News that the goodwill gesture from Putin wasn't getting the Russian Federation anything in return from him directly. He confirmed: 'They're getting nothing from me. Nothing.' The Russian state media described the gift as a gesture of goodwill to the people of the United States. Mr Warren stated that he doesn't see himself as functioning as propaganda for the Russian government. The Alaskan was gifted the new motorcycle after a chance encounter with Russian reporters on the streets of his state's capital. Ahead of the summit, a pair of journalists saw him riding the Ural brand motorcycle he bought from his neighbour a few years ago to downtown Anchorage to run some errands. The two men who said they were from Russia's state television Channel 1 flagged him down, waving him to the side of the street, informed Mr Warren. He explained: 'They said, 'We need to talk to you.' I went over there, and there were two journalists, and they said, 'Do you realize this is a Russian motorcycle?' They were very nice, and then we got to talking about it.' The unlikely meeting saw the American become the star of a news segment about the effect of economic sanctions as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Mr Warren told Russian media that repairs to his bike had gotten expensive as affordable parts had become harder to find. The clip went viral in Russia and the media star soon received several phone calls, despite him not giving the journalists his phone number. He was told that the story had even reached President Vladimir Putin, who wanted to give him a new Ural motorcycle. The conversation put the bike directly into the geopolitical conflict at the heart of the summit. On its website, the company Ural which condemned Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine said 'production ground to a halt due to [an] inability to import components and export bikes out of Russia caused by international sanctions laid on the country.' The company was founded in what was then Soviet Russia and is now headquartered in Washington state. Ural pulled all its production out of Russia after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, because sanctions prevented them from exporting bikes. At first, the retired man told his wife he thought the promise of a delivery of the new bike could be part of an elaborate scam but sure enough a sheet covering a motorcycle shaped object was ready to be unveiled in the Lakefront Hotel in Spenard's carpark by Russian officials. Mr Warren claimed it was a "good bike" and said he will likely sell his older one so he can ride his new present. When Russian reporters asked the recipient of Putin's gift about the summit between U.S. and Russian leaders, Mr Warren responded that he had been optimistic. 'I just said, 'I just hope something good comes out of it,'' he added.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Putin buys new motorbike for Alaskan man who complained about sanctions
Vladimir Putin bought a brand new Russian motorbike for an Alaskan man who said that his own model was becoming impossible to repair because of US sanctions. Mark Warren was handed the keys to his new Ural motorbike in the car park of an Anchorage hotel, where the Russian delegation was staying during last week's meeting between Putin and Donald Trump. A Russian state television crew had been milling about on the streets of Anchorage when they stopped to admire Mr Warren's rugged Soviet-era bike. Mr Warren complained to the reporters from Russia-1 that repairs to his bike were becoming increasingly costly and new parts near-impossible to obtain because of sanctions on Russia. His motorbike was manufactured by Ural, whose original factory was founded in 1941 in what was then Soviet Russia. 'So for you, if they resolve this conflict here in Alaska, I mean Putin and Trump, it will be good?' the reporter, Valentin Bogdanov, asked him. 'Yes, it will be good,' Mr Warren replied. A few days later, he was handed the keys to a brand new Ural sidecar motorbike. 'I have to say that this is a personal gift from the president of the Russian Federation,' said Andrei Ledenev, an employee at the Russian embassy in Washington, who delivered the gift. In front of a scrum of Russian state TV cameras, Mr Warren looked stunned as he heard about his new benefactor. Mustering only a few words, he nodded and said: 'Very good.' In footage splashed across Russian state media, which framed the gift as a symbol of Putin's generosity and goodwill, Mr Warren then hopped aboard his new bike – with Mr Ledenev perched behind him – to take it for a spin. 'Here's a new ride on the new Ural. A Russian vehicle in Russian America under the shadow of a Russian birch tree,' a Russia-1 correspondent commented, referring to Alaska's history as part of the Russian empire. Mr Warren said: 'Oh, it's night and day. It runs much smoother and is much more enjoyable. I like my old one too, but this one is obviously much better. It's newer, it's more precise in control. I'm speechless, it's amazing. Thank you very much.' Perhaps unbeknown to him, his story appeared in a segment on the flagship Russian channel about how Western sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine have affected ordinary Americans. The motorbikes, known for their distinctive sidecars, were initially developed to be used by the Soviet military during the Second World War on the Eastern Front and later adapted for civilian use. Ural, which is headquartered in Washington State, said that all of its motorbikes were now assembled in Kazakhstan. The company, which denounced Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, pulled all its production out of Russia in March 2022 after it ground to a halt because of an inability to export bikes out of Russia thanks to sanctions.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Alaskan man gifted new motorcycle by Putin during Trump summit
(Reuters) -A local man in Anchorage was given a new motorcycle by Russian President Vladimir Putin during last week's summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Alaskan city, according to a report published by Russian state television. An employee of the Russian embassy in the United States handed the man, Mark Warren, the keys to his new Ural motorcycle in the parking lot of the Anchorage hotel where the Russian delegation was staying. "I have to say that this is a personal gift from the President of the Russian Federation," Andrei Ledenev, the embassy employee, told Warren. The white-haired, bespectacled Warren, who Reuters was unable to contact for comment, was shown hopping aboard his new bike, Ledenev behind him and another man in the sidecar, to take it for a spin. "It's night and day," Warren said. "I like my old one, but this one is obviously much better." "I'm speechless, it's amazing. Thank you very much." The unexpected gift by the Russian leader came after reporters with Russian state television Channel 1 met Warren by chance on the streets of Anchorage ahead of the summit. The reporters stopped to admire Warren's bike, which is manufactured by Ural, whose original factory was founded in 1941 in what was then Soviet Russia. Warren told a reporter, Valentin Bogdanov, that he struggled to obtain spare parts for the bike, including a new starter, because the manufacturing plant is "located in Ukraine." "So for you, if they resolve this conflict here in Alaska, I mean Putin and Trump, it will be good?" Bogdanov asks Warren. "Yes, it will be good," the Alaskan replies. Ural, which is headquartered in Washington State, says that all of its motorcycles are assembled in Kazakhstan. The company pulled all its production out of Russia after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Ural did not immediately reply to a request for comment outside working hours in the U.S.
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Alaskan man is left 'speechless' after Putin gifts him Russian motorbike after the American complained that sanctions made refitting his own model impossible
An Alaska man as been left 'speechless' after Russian President Vladimir Putin gifted him a new Russian motorcycle after the American man complained that sanctions made refitting his own model impossible. An employee of the Russian embassy in the United States handed the man, Mark Warren, the keys to his new Ural motorcycle in the parking lot of the Anchorage hotel where the Russian delegation was staying. 'I have to say that this is a personal gift from the President of the Russian Federation,' Andrei Ledenev, the embassy employee, told Warren. The white-haired, bespectacled Warren was seen hopping aboard his new bike, Ledenev behind him and another man in the sidecar, to take it for a spin. 'It's night and day,' Warren said. 'I like my old one, but this one is obviously much better. 'It's newer, it's more precise in control. 'I'm speechless, it's amazing. Thank you very much.' The unexpected gift by the Russian leader came after reporters with Russian state television Channel 1 met Warren by chance on the streets of Anchorage ahead of the summit. The reporters stopped to admire Warren's bike, which is manufactured by Ural, whose original factory was founded in 1941 in what was then Soviet Russia. Warren told a reporter, Valentin Bogdanov, that he struggled to obtain spare parts for the bike, including a new starter, because the manufacturing plant is 'located in Ukraine.' 'So for you, if they resolve this conflict here in Alaska, I mean Putin and Trump, it will be good?' Bogdanov asks Warren. 'Yes, it will be good,' the Alaskan replies. Ural, which is headquartered in Washington State, says that all of its motorcycles are assembled in Kazakhstan. The vehicles are known for their iconic sidecars, and were initially developed for use by the Soviet military during WW2 on the Eastern front. The company pulled all its production out of Russia after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, as sanctions prevented them from exporting bikes.
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First Post
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- First Post
Putin gifts American man motorcycle during Alaska Summit. Here's why
Mark Warren of Alaska's Anchorage region in the United States was stunned when Russian officials contacted him and handed over a new Ural motorcycle, describing it as a 'personal gift' from Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was told the bike had been flown in from Russia on the same jet as Putin The motorcycle, a Ural, was given to Mark Warren by Andrei Ledenev, a staff member of the Russian embassy. Image: X A man from Alaska's Anchorage region has received a new motorcycle from Russian officials, who said it was a 'personal gift' from Vladimir Putin. The event took place against the backdrop of last week's summit in Alaska between the Russian President and US President Donald Trump. ALSO READ | Why Putin's bodyguards carried 'poop suitcase' to Alaska summit with Trump The motorcycle, a Ural, was given to Mark Warren by Andrei Ledenev, a staff member of the Russian embassy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But who is Mark Warren? And what made Putin give him this gift? Find out here: Who is Mark Warren? Mark Warren is a retired fire inspector who was handed the keys to a new Ural motorcycle by a staff member of the Russian embassy in the United States. 'I have to say that this is a personal gift from the President of the Russian Federation,' embassy official Andrei Ledenev told Warren. Warren, white-haired and wearing glasses, was seen climbing onto the motorcycle with Ledenev sitting behind him and another man in the sidecar as they set off for a short ride. 🇷🇺🏍️ An unexpected twist in Anchorage: Mark Warren, longed for spare parts for his Russian 'Ural' bike but couldn't get them due to sanctions, just received a brand-new motorcycle — from Vladimir Putin via Russian diplomats Sanctions just spark a presidential gift! — RT (@RT_com) August 18, 2025 'It's night and day,' Warren said. 'I like my old one, but this one is obviously much better.' 'I'm speechless, it's amazing. Thank you very much.' Why did Putin gift Warren a bike? The surprise gift came after an encounter between Warren and Russian state television Channel 1 reporters in Anchorage before the summit. He soon appeared in their news report on the effects of sanctions placed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, telling them that maintaining his bike had become costly and spare parts were increasingly difficult to find. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Warren told journalist Valentin Bogdanov that he had trouble getting replacements, including a new starter, as the plant was 'located in Ukraine.' The Ural company was first set up in Soviet Russia and is now based in Washington state. On its website, Ural states that it condemned Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and that 'production ground to a halt due to inability to import components and export bikes out of Russia caused by international sanctions laid on the country.' How did the bike reach Warren? Warren said he was first told about it during a phone call from one of the journalists who had interviewed him. The reporter explained that the video had gone viral in Russia and even reached President Vladimir Putin, who decided to give him a new Ural motorcycle. Not long after, Warren got another call, this time from someone in the Russian government. 'We're gonna get you a bike,' he recalled being told, speaking to Anchorage Daily News. His response at the time was, 'OK, that's fine.' On Friday night, once the Trump-Putin summit had ended and both leaders had left, Warren received yet another call. This time, a Russian official told him, 'We have your bike. It's on the base, but we're trying to figure out how to get it to you.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Warren later learned that the motorcycle had been flown in from Russia on the same jet as Putin. The next day, a group of Russian officials and a cameraman met him in a car park. A large sheet covered something that clearly looked like a bike. Alaska resident Mark Warren rides his new Ural motorcycle. Image: Russia-1/Reuters 'Looks like a bike,' Warren said cautiously as he walked up, in a moment captured on Russian state TV. With a quick pull, the officials revealed a khaki green Ural motorcycle. 'This is a personal gift from the president of the Russian Federation,' one of the men told him. Warren later found out that the motorcycle had been built on August 12, suggesting it was arranged quickly. Footage of the handover has been shown on Russian television and reported by news agencies. According to The Moscow Times, Russian media presented the gift as a sign of goodwill from Moscow. A document Warren shared with Alaska's News Source from the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the United States stated: 'The Embassy of the Russian Federation in the United States of America on behalf of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir V. Putin, transfers as an act of giving the following property: Motorcycle 'Gear-Up,'….' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
