Putin gifts Alaska man new Ural during U.S. visit
An Alaskan man was gifted a brand-new Ural motorcycle by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to the U.S. to attend a peace summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to reports published by Reuters.
Anchorage resident Mark Warren was featured in a Russian state media news feature during the Aug. 16-17 weekend, explaining his frustration over sanctions imposed on Russia. He stated the difficulties he was having obtaining parts, including a new starter.
Warren, who was spotted by the Russian Federation driving his old Soviet-era Ural, told Russian reporters that repairing his motorcycle was costly and replacement parts were nearly impossible to find.
The brand new Ural sidecar motorcycle Warren received has an MSRP of $19,999.
“It’s night and day. This [bike] is so much nicer, so much smoother,” says Warren. “I liked my other machine as well, but this one’s newer, it’s more precise, it’s better handling. It’s a nicer machine.”
The video below shows Warren receiving his Ural from an employee of the Russian embassy in the United States.
Ural, which makes sidecar motorcycles, is based in Washington, and currently has dealers in 36 U.S. states and five provinces in Canada. Its bikes are assembled in Kazakhstan. Ural moved its manufacturing from Russia after the start of its war with Ukraine.
