In Donald Trump’s world, traditional diplomacy often takes a backseat to personal loyalty. As Corriere della Sera reports, retired general Keith Kellogg was excluded from any role in Ukraine negotiations, despite being the official White House envoy, simply because Russian media—citing intelligence leaks—claimed his daughter works for an agency that donates medical supplies to Kyiv. That was all it took to disqualify him.
Meanwhile, New York property mogul Steve Witkoff—lacking any diplomatic experience, regional expertise, or institutional mandate—has been granted near-total freedom in back-channel discussions about the war in Ukraine. According to the Italian newspaper, his personal relationship with Trump overrides all traditional filters. His Russian roots? Irrelevant. Far more striking is the fact that Witkoff’s close business partner is none other than billionaire Leonard (formerly Leonid) Blavatnik, who is currently sanctioned by Ukraine as a “national security threat.”
Who is Len Blavatnik—Witkoff’s Billionaire Business Partner?
Len Blavatnik, 68, ranks 39th on Bloomberg’s list of the world’s richest individuals, with an estimated net worth of $37.3 billion. Born in Odessa when it was still part of the Soviet Union and raised in Yaroslavl near Moscow, Blavatnik emigrated to the U.S. in his early twenties and went on to become a dual American-British citizen. In the West, he’s considered a philanthropic titan.
He has generously donated to both Democratic and Republican politicians—Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Mitt Romney, and even Trump himself—as well as to prestigious institutions like Harvard and Oxford, where he earned his MBA. In the UK, he was knighted for his charitable contributions.
Blavatnik’s investment portfolio is a who’s who of elite assets: he has stakes in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Music, the luxurious Grand Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, and owns DAZN, the global sports streaming platform that airs Italy’s Serie A matches.
Ties to Russia He Doesn’t Talk About
Despite this Western polish, Blavatnik’s fortune has deep Russian roots. As Corriere della Sera notes, he amassed his early billions during Russia’s chaotic post-Soviet privatization era. Alongside fellow oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Viktor Vekselberg—a friend from university—he acquired stakes in the state oil company TNK. In 2003, the trio formed a joint venture with British Petroleum. A decade later, during Putin’s firmly entrenched rule, they sold the entire operation to state-owned Rosneft for a staggering $56 billion—a transaction that likely required high-level political approval.
“A deal of this scale would have been impossible without Kremlin backing,” Corriere della Sera notes.
Even after the sale, Blavatnik retained stakes in Russian companies. His last significant holding was an 8% share in aluminum giant Rusal, controlled by Oleg Deripaska—himself under international sanctions. Blavatnik only sold this stake in the summer of 2022, months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Although one of Blavatnik’s philanthropic foundations was declared “undesirable” in Russia in 2022, photos of him attending elite social events in Moscow date as recently as 2021. In a 2019 Forbes interview, Vekselberg described his American friend as “very active in Russia and well connected.”
Why This Raises Red Flags in Washington
These links were enough for Kyiv to impose personal sanctions on Blavatnik, classifying him as a security threat. And yet, as Corriere della Sera reports, Blavatnik remains a key business partner of Steve Witkoff. In February 2025, the pair co-invested in a Florida real estate project worth $85 million.
“To Trump, there’s no conflict of interest. And if there is—perhaps it’s even a bonus,” the newspaper quips.
This article was prepared based on materials published by Corriere della Sera. The author does not claim authorship of the original text but presents their interpretation of the content for informational purposes.
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