At a New York event, Trump met Yuri Dubinin, Soviet Ambassador to the United States.
In Washington, Trump met with visiting Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
Trump traveled to the Soviet Union with first wife Ivana to search for hotel sites for a possible joint-venture with Intourist, the Soviet government's tourism agency.
Trump traveled to Moscow with proposal for luxury residential complex to be built on property owned by a U.S. tobacco company and publicly praised the city's potential.
Trump starts to seek trademarks in Russia for company names, including Trump Tower. CNN Money reported at least eight trademark applications were filed in Russia from 1996 to 2008.
Trump hosted retired Russian general and presidential aspirant Alexander Lebed at Trump Tower in New York.
Trump spoke of installing near the Hudson River in New York a bronze statue of Christopher Columbus created by a billionaire artist friend of Russian President Boris Yeltsin and donated by the Russian government. The statue, taller than the Statue of Liberty, ended up in Puerto Rico.
Trump described Russia as “out of control” and Yeltsin as “a disaster” during a television interview.
Trump worked with New York's Bayrock Group to develop a Trump Tower in Moscow. A site was chosen, but the project did not go forward.
Trump's children, Donald Jr and Ivanka, made a trip to Moscow. In 2008, Donald Jr stated this was one of six trips he made to Russia over a period of one and one-half years.
Trump and partners promote "Trump Super Premium Vodka 24K" at the Millionaire Fair in Moscow. Bottles are "decorated with pure twenty-four karat gold."
Trump and partner, Affliction Entertainment, a mixed martial arts company, announced plans to film a multi-episode reality TV show in Russia. The show did not get made.
Trump and NBC sold rights to Russians to host the 2013 Miss Universe pageant and Trump attended the event. After the trip he tweeted: “Moscow is a very interesting and amazing place” and that “TRUMP TOWER-MOSCOW is next.”
On November 14, Putin called Trump to formally congratulate him on his victory in the presidential election and expressed hope “for cooperation in ending a crisis in Russian-American relations.”