Trump's Appointment of Mark Burnett as U.S. Special Envoy to the UK: A Dive into His Ties to Russia
Donald Trump’s recent announcement to appoint Mark Burnett, the British television producer known for creating The Apprentice, as the U.S. special envoy to the UK is another example of cronyism and raises major concerns—as many of Trump’s nominees have. Trump praised Burnett, on Truth Social, saying: “With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role,” despite his lacking the formal diplomatic and foreign policy experience required for such a role. Given Russia’s ongoing efforts to destabilize democracy in the UK and Burnett’s past ties with Russia, the question arises: why would Trump appoint Burnett? Why does Trump need a special envoy to the UK?
This move is particularly perplexing since Trump had already selected Warren Stephens, a Republican mega-donor, to serve as U.S. ambassador to the UK. The creation of an additional special envoy role adds confusion and raises questions about what Burnett’s real purpose is and his history with Russia warrants a reminder.
This appointment also comes at a time when Russia is running many operations and attacks aimed at destabilizing the UK, making Burnett’s history with Putin and his inner circle all the more concerning—especially as Elon Musk is reportedly looking to finance Putin ally Nigel Farage.
Burnett’s Ties to Russia: A Closer Examination
Mark Burnett’s relationship with Russia is more complex than a quick look at his media career would reveal. His interest in Russia reportedly dates back to 2001, when Burnett was in discussions to create a television project with Putin. One of the projects he explored was called “Destination: Mir,” a reality competition in which the winner would be sent into space. However, the project was ultimately abandoned after Russia decommissioned the Mir space station.
In 2015, amid rising tensions between Russia and the West following Russia’s 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea and occupation of Donbas, Burnett sought to engage with Putin once again. That June, RT, the Russian intelligence media front, headlined the article titled "Hollywood is Interested in Vladimir Putin," reporting, "Famous TV producer Mark Burnett is looking for a hero for his new reality show. This time he is interested in the Russian president, as Mark has already worked with politicians." This announcement highlighted Burnett’s efforts to create a television project centered around Putin, even as the Russian president’s regime faced widespread international condemnation for its illegal invasion of Ukraine, including mass violations of international law and human rights. Ultimately, the shows didn’t come to fruition but Burnett made some interesting contacts along the way. And his latest attempt was happening in the summer of 2015, as Russia began its cyberattacks on the DNC, laying the groundwork for its attacks on the 2016 U.S. election.
Burnett, Foresman, and Ties to Russia
As we were deep into the 2016 election season, around the spring, Burnett’s connections to Russian interests took a more alarming turn, particularly when considering his ties to Robert Foresman, an American banker with longstanding relationships with powerful Kremlin figures, who sought a high-level position in the incoming Trump regime.
Foresman, who has connections to Igor Sechin, the head of Russia’s state-owned oil company Rosneft, and Sergei Gorkov, chairman of Russia's state-owned bank VEB, was directly tied to influential Russian elites. Foresman was also connected to the CEO of Nord Stream 2, Matthias Warnig, a former East German Stasi officer—recruited by Putin in the 1980s during Putin’s KGB service in Dresden. These associations positioned Burnett within a network of individuals who held considerable influence over Russia’s domestic and international affairs and global operations.
During the 2016 transition, Foresman dined with Matthias Warnig, who strongly advocated for Russian foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov to be Flynn's primary contact in the Russian government. Foresman later passed this message along to Putin. Foresman’s contacts continued to push his connection with Flynn, leading to a call with Flynn later in the transition.
According to the Senate Intelligence report, Foresman’s role became critical when he sought to leverage his Russian ties to gain access to the Trump transition team. Beginning in the spring of 2016, Foresman reached out to the Trump campaign, utilizing his relationship with Burnett to connect with Trump’s inner circle. Foresman later claimed that Burnett had directly spoken with Trump and suggested that Foresman would be a "useful person to meet with."
Despite initial setbacks, Foresman eventually secured meetings with members of the Trump transition team, thanks in part to lobbying from Burnett. During the transition, Burnett texted Steve Bannon, introducing him to Foresman and describing him as “connected at every level in Russian Government, Church, and Business,” offering him to "serve you." Burnett, who facilitated the connection between Foresman and Bannon, which led to a meeting, further praised Foresman as “a patriot, an evangelical, and a genius.” Bannon replied, “He is pretty amazing.”
Although details of the meeting remain unclear, Bannon claimed it focused on "Christianity in Russia and Eastern Europe, the re-evangelization of Europe," while Foresman remembered discussions about foreign policy, Russia, and Ukraine. Afterward, Foresman was directed to meet with Michael Flynn, then National Security Advisor-designee, and K.T. McFarland.
During this period, Foresman suggested in a memo that U.S.-Russia relations had shifted “from alarming to hopeful” after Trump’s election and proposed that the National Security Council prioritize Russia in its structure. Later meetings with Flynn and McFarland explored Foresman’s interest in the Russian ambassadorship, although McFarland and Foresman offered differing accounts of the discussions.
Before his trip back to Moscow, Foresman reached out to Flynn, informing him that he would be meeting with “some influential people” close to Putin. When asked if Flynn had a message to convey from the incoming administration, Flynn reportedly replied, “[Y]ou can convey that on behalf of the President-elect and myself, we genuinely hope for improved relations between our two countries.”
Upon returning to Moscow, Foresman met with VEB CEO Sergei Gorkov, a graduate of the Academy of the Federal Counter-Intelligence Service, which trains members for Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service and Federal Security Service (FSB) and is connected to Russia's intelligence apparatus, as well as Nikolai Tsekhomsky, the first deputy chairman of VEB. During the meeting, Foresman “conveyed to Sergei that General Flynn had asked me to convey a message to President Putin.” Gorkov assured Foresman that he would “pass the message along to Putin.”
Around the same time, it was later revealed that Jared Kushner had met with Gorkov during the 2016 transition period. The meeting occurred in conjunction with reports that Kushner had proposed to Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak the creation of a back channel via the Russian embassy—aimed to avoid U.S. detection.
In early 2017, Foresman contacted Flynn’s assistant via email to request a meeting with Flynn, stating that he was:
[R]equesting a 15 min[ute] in person meeting ... to brief him on what I was asked to convey by the highest level in Moscow. General Flynn called me when I was in Moscow, as you recall, and we agreed that I should brief him in person . ... I assure you that these will be 15 min[utes] well spent. These are not mundane issues. I am not a foreign policy analyst seeking to share my worldview with the General; I am operating on the ground and have been asked to convey something directly to him, after I conveyed to the relevant party what the General asked me to convey.
Again the question needs to be posed—for what purpose did Trump appoint Burnett?
Russian Influence Operations in the UK
Russia has significantly intensified its attacks on the UK, employing large-scale disinformation operations to undermine democracy, interfere in British politics, support figures like Nigel Farage and his party, and escalate sabotage operations. Burnett’s appointment raises significant concerns in this context.
Adding to this is Elon Musk’s involvement in amplifying Russian disinformation through X. His public—and potential financial—support for Nigel Farage, his positions on geopolitical issues, and his backing of Russia’s favored political parties, such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD), have sparked concerns about his direct support of Russian interests.
Implications for U.S.-UK Relations
The appointment of Mark Burnett as U.S. special envoy to the UK demands close examination, especially given his past connections to Russia. As Russia continues its hybrid warfare against the UK, Burnett’s ties to key Kremlin figures, alongside Musk’s backing of Nigel Farage and his party, raise concerns that the incoming Trump regime could bolster Russia’s operations in the UK.
This position, which bypasses Senate confirmation, should not exempt Burnett from answering questions about his previous dealings with Russia and whether he still maintains connections with his Kremlin-linked friends.