Vitaly Churkin (1952–2017) was a Soviet and Russian diplomat who served as Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations from 2006 until his sudden death in 2017. Early in his career, he played a key role in arranging Donald Trump’s first visit to Moscow in 1987, a period when Soviet officials were actively cultivating Western business figures.

In 2016, during the U.S. presidential election, Churkin participated in meetings arranged by Jeffrey Epstein with Peter Thiel and Tom Barrack. These meetings, later revealed through Epstein’s calendars and correspondence, placed Churkin in Epstein’s circle at a moment of heightened U.S.–Russia political sensitivity. In a June 2018 email to Thorbjørn Jagland, Epstein wrote: “churkin was great. he understood trump after our conversations. it is not complex,” indicating private discussions between Epstein and Churkin about Trump’s psychology and negotiating style.

Churkin’s son, Max Churkin, a Sberbank analyst, was scheduled to meet with Epstein shortly before Vitaly Churkin’s death in February 2017. No details about the purpose of that meeting have been disclosed publicly.

Churkin’s presence in Epstein’s communications suggests Epstein maintained channels to senior Russian diplomats and brokered exchanges between Russian officials and influential American business leaders. His participation in the 2016 meetings adds a significant data point to the understanding of Epstein’s role in connecting Russian and U.S. power networks.

Sources Wikipedia, “Vitaly Churkin”; Politico, “The Hidden History of Trump’s First Trip to Moscow” (Nov. 19, 2017); Rolling Stone, reporting on Epstein’s 2016 meetings with Peter Thiel (Aug. 30, 2023); Wall Street Journal, coverage of Epstein’s meetings with Thiel and Barrack (Aug. 2023); Sydney Morning Herald, “Emails Open Window Into Epstein’s Wide Network” (Nov. 14, 2025); Meduza, “Newly Released Epstein Emails Resurrect Russiagate” (Nov. 13, 2025).