Kremlin denies Putin stole US tycoon Robert Kraft's ring
It was clearly a gift says Putin's spokesman; if Kraft believes otherwise he should see a psychoanalyst

AS IF he didn’t have enough on his plate, what with David Cameron trying to arm the Syrian rebels against his wishes, Vladimir Putin has had to defend himself against a charge of daylight robbery.
It follows a claim that the Russian president stole a souvenir Super Bowl ring from the American tycoon Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots.
Kraft told an awards gala at New York's Carnegie Hall that during a visit to St Petersburg in 2005 he showed Putin the 4.94-carat, diamond-encrusted ring – and Putin immediately pocketed it.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I took out the ring and showed it to [Putin], and he put it on and he goes: 'I can kill someone with this ring'," Kraft, told his audience. Then, he says, Putin calmly popped it in his pocket.
According to the New York Post, Kraft tried to get the White House to help him recover the ring – but they advised him to treat it as a gift.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said he was actually there (as was Rupert Murdoch, incidentally) when Kraft handed over the ring and it was clearly meant as a gift. Any suggestion, said Peskov, that Kraft was put under pressure should be an issue for "detailed discussion with psychoanalysts".
Peskov, in London with Putin, before heading to the G8 summit, told reporters: "If the gentleman is really experiencing such excruciating pain from his loss... the president is ready to send him any other ring he can buy for that kind of money."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
As the Daily Telegraph explains, the ring is worth about $25,000. It was one of 70 given to the Patriots after they won the Super Bowl in February 2005.
Kraft is trying to play it down. A spokesperson said he was very happy that his ring was at the Kremlin and that it was a "humorous, anecdotal story that Robert retells for laughs".
-
5 artfully drawn cartoons about Donald Trump's Epstein doodle
Cartoons Artists take on a mountainous legacy, creepy art, and more
-
Violent videos of Charlie Kirk’s death are renewing debate over online censorship
Talking Points Social media ‘promises unfiltered access, but without guarantees of truth and without protection from harm’
-
What led to Poland invoking NATO’s Article 4 and where could it lead?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION After a Russian drone blitz, Warsaw’s rare move to invoke the important NATO statute has potentially moved Europe closer to continent-wide warfare
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government building
Speed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
'Axis of upheaval': will China summit cement new world order?
Today's Big Question Xi calls on anti-US alliance to cooperate in new China-led global system – but fault lines remain
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to US
Speed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peace
Speed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump
-
What will security guarantees for Ukraine look like?
Today's Big Question From boots on the ground to economic sanctions, here are the measures that might stop Russia taking another bite out of Ukraine
-
Will Ukraine trade territory for peace?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Kyiv’s defences are wearing thin but a land swap is constitutionally impossible and crosses Zelenskyy's red lines
-
Russia tries Ukraine land grab before Trump summit
Speed Read The incursion may be part of Putin's efforts to boost his bargaining position