Artist behind Trump portrait gifted by Putin says he hopes it brings peace

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian creator who painted a representation of Donald Trump that was fixed to the U.S. president by Vladimir Putin says helium ne'er suspected his enactment would go an instrumentality of Russia-U.S. diplomacy.

The coating by Nikas Safronov depicts Trump clenching his fist successful a motion of defiance successful the moments aft a gunman tried to assassinate him astatine a rally successful Pennsylvania past July.

Safronov told Reuters helium was impressed by Trump's courage. "I went to a adjacent religion and prayed for him. And past I started to marque sketches," helium said.

But the portrait's improbable travel to the White House via the Kremlin came arsenic a surprise, Safronov added. He said helium was approached by erstwhile clients, whom helium did not name, who requested that helium springiness them the coating for a play of time.

Safronov said helium agreed and gave it distant for free. Later, helium said, helium heard media reports that Trump's peculiar envoy Steve Witkoff had said that Putin had talented Trump a coating by a celebrated Russian artist.

"Somehow I couldn’t portion unneurotic that those radical (who took distant the portrait) enactment for the president of Russia," helium said.

Witkoff, who has met Putin 4 times, said successful March that helium had brought backmost the painting, which helium said Putin had commissioned from a starring Russian artist, and Trump had been "clearly touched" by it.

But Safronov said helium lone realised that the representation fixed to Trump was his erstwhile helium received a telephone from Putin.

"The president called me. He thanked maine and said helium liked the work. It was a abbreviated conversation," helium said.

He present hopes it volition assistance foster a breakthrough betwixt the 2 countries, which since Trump's instrumentality to the White House successful January person launched diplomatic contacts connected ending the warfare successful Ukraine and repairing bilateral relations.

"I anticipation it volition play its relation and bring bid to the world," said Safronov.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)