The Russian president topped the list of top gift givers to US President Joe Biden and his family in 2021, according to federal documents released Thursday.
In less tense times between the two countries, Vladimir Putin gave Biden a painted writing case and a pen worth $12,000 when they met at a highly anticipated summit in Geneva in June 2021..
Shortly after the Geneva meeting, relations between the United States and Russia soured, deteriorating over the war in Ukraine last February..
The list also topped the list of former Afghan President Muhammad Ashraf Ghani and his wife with gifts for the US President and First Lady Jill Biden, including silk carpets valued at about $ 28,800 later in June..
Meanwhile, Ghani fled Afghanistan shortly after the United States withdrew from the country on Biden’s orders in August 2021..
Details of the gifts were contained in the US State Department’s annual account of gifts to US officials from world leaders, posted on the Federal Register website on Thursday..
The list, which covers 2021, is due to be officially published on Friday.
Gifts from Putin and Ghani have been transferred to the US National Archives, a requirement for any gift to a US official worth more than $415. The recipient has the option to pay and keep the estimated value of the gift.
