Russian President Vladimir Putin gifted a motorcycle to an American man during peace talks with President Donald Trump last week.
A local man in Anchorage was gifted a new motorcycle by Putin while he was in the Alaskan city for peace talks regarding Russia's war with Ukraine.
Mark Warren said he was given a new Ural motorcycle by an employee of the Russian embassy in the United States.
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The exchange of the gift came in the car park of the Anchorage hotel, where the Russian delegation was staying.
Mark Warren was gifted a new Ural motorcycle by President Putin during peace talks with Donald Trump last week
|REUTERS
Andrei Ledenev, an employee at the embassy, told Mr Warren: "I have to say that this is a personal gift from the President of the Russian Federation."
Mr Warren was gifted the motorcycle after speaking with Russian state television Channel 1 on the streets of Anchorage prior to the meeting with President Trump.
The Alaskan was spotted riding a Ural when he was stopped by reporters. The original Ural factory was stationed in the Soviet Union when it was founded in 1941.
Ural is known for its sidecar motorcycles, although the company is now headquartered in Redmond, Washington, with assembly factories in Kazakhstan.
Ural is one of the most well-known motorcycle sidecar brands in the world
|URAL
When stopped by reporter Valentin Bogdanov, Mr Warren explained that he was finding it difficult to get spare parts for his Ural motorcycle.
He noted that parts, including a new starter, were only available from a factory in Ukraine, making it difficult to make repairs.
Mr Bogdanov questioned whether he would be able to get the parts needed if Presidents Trump and Putin were able to reach a deal on peace. The Alaskan responded: "Yes, it will be good."
Ural pulled all production out of Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 as sanctions made it almost impossible to export.
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Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump shake hands on the Anchorage tarmac | GB NEWSChannel 1 filmed the motorcyclist being presented with the new Ural before taking it for a spin around the car park.
Mr Warren said: "It's night and day. I like my old one, but this one is obviously much better.
"I'm speechless, it's amazing. Thank you very much," Mr Warren told Russian broadcaster Channel 1.
The gift was delivered as President Putin met with his American counterpart in hopes of ending the war in Ukraine and restoring peace in the region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office yesterday
|REUTERS
An agreement was not reached, although the meeting represented a significant step forward for potential peace in Ukraine.
Following the negotiations, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and a range of European leaders have travelled alongside Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet with Donald Trump.
Sir Starmer, alongside the French President Emmanuel Macron, will co-chair a meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing" later today in Washington.
The majority of European leaders have pledged to protect peace in Ukraine once it is achieved, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying the meeting will discuss security guarantees.