Putin 'begged to meet Trump at 2013 Miss Universe but was left disappointed after the billionaire arrived late - so the Russian had an oligarch's daughter deliver a gift instead'
- Vladimir Putin tried to arrange a meeting with Donald Trump, a source said
- Chat before Miss Universe in Moscow in 2013 cancelled as Trump was late
- Putin sent an oligarch's daughter to deliver a card and a gift in New York
- Trump has denied ever meeting Putin, contradicting statements in 2013
Vladimir Putin wanted to meet Donald Trump at the 2013 Miss Universe pageant but their plans were scuppered after the billionaire arrived late, a source has said.
Trump - who owns the Miss Universe brand - was visiting Moscow for the beauty show and the Kremlin wanted to arrange a meeting between him and the Russian leader.
However, the plans are said to have fallen through when Trump took a later flight so he could attend the 95th birthday of evangelical minister Billy Graham.
Keen to build a relationship, Putin sent an oligarch's daughter to deliver a gift to Trump in New York, the source said.
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Vladimir Putin wanted to meet Donald Trump at the 2013 Miss Universe pageant but their plans were scuppered after the billionaire arrived late, a source has said
Sheyla Agalarov (center, with her parents Aras and Irina) was sent to deliver a gift and a note to Trump in New York after he missed the meeting
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A source close to Russian oligarch Aras Agalarov told NBC News that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was instructed to arrange the meeting before the pageant.
Arrangements were made but Trump apparently missed the meet-up because he stayed late in North Carolina at Graham's birthday party.
Trump made it to the pageant in time to see Gabriela Isler, from Venezuela, crowned Miss Universe 2013
Putin was unable to rearrange the sit-down meeting because he had to meet the King of Holland.
Putin sent a gift and a note to Trump, the source said, and had Agalarov's daughter, Sheyla, deliver them to the Miss Universe offices in New York.
The Agalarovs and the Trumps appear to have been friends at the time, having met each other at least once already that year at a Miss USA show in Las Vegas.
Trump is also said to have helped arrange for Agalarov's son, Emin, to appear in a music video for Miss Universe 2013.
The source claimed Trump did not waste his networking trip of Moscow as he met up with a businessman from Sberbank Russia, where he is said to have talked about the EU and The Apprentice.
Trump said earlier this week that he has never met Putin, in direct contradiction with a claim he made in 2013 during his trip to Moscow.
He told NBC News at the time that they had 'a relationship' and that the Russian leader was particularly 'interested' in him and what he had to say.
However, on Wednesday Trump said: 'I never met Putin, I don't know who Putin is.'
Trump's denial came after claims that Russians were involved in the leak of emails and voicemails from the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
Trump (left) with Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo (center) and Aras Agalarov (right) onstage at the 2013 Miss USA pageant earlier in 2013 before the event in Moscow
There have been suggestions that the Kremlin may be trying to derail the Democrats' campaign in an attempt to win Trump the presidency.
The emails - published by WikiLeaks - led to the resignation of the DNC's Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz on the eve of the party's convention, which ended last night.
Security sources say the hack has all the hallmarks of a state-sponsored attack.
A separate apparent hack of a Congressional fundraising website for the Democrats appeared to come from a Russian IP address.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3714527/Putin-begged-meet-Trump-2013-Miss-Universe-left-disappointed-billionaire-arrived-late-Russian-oligarch-s-daughter-deliver-gift-instead.html#ixzz4HA1cW8DO
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