US 'Miss Universe' billionaire plans Russian Trump Tower

US Billionaire Donald Trump has revealed plans to construct a skyscraper in Russia, similar to New York’s famous Trump Tower. The plans were confirmed during his visit to Moscow for the Miss Universe 2013 pageant taking place at Crocus City Hall.

“I have plans for the establishment of business in Russia. Now, I am in talks with several Russian companies to establish this skyscraper,” Trump said. However, he did not mention the names of the participants, or discuss negotiations and the size of the investment.

Billionaire Araz Agalarov is the owner of Crocus City Hall, where the Miss Universe finals are being held. He confirmed that his company, Crocus Group, had been participating in the talks. “We started talking about joint work in the field of real estate a few days ago,” Agalarov told Itar-Tass.

Crocus Group is heavily involved with the Miss Universe 2013 pageant. The event is co-owned by NBC Universal and Trump, who is currently in Moscow to award the ‘Miss Universe 2013’ crown to the winning contestant Saturday night. 

I'm in Moscow for Miss Universe tonight - picking a winner is very hard, they are all winners. Total sellout of arena. Big night in Russia!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2013

The highest skyscrapers in Russia are located in Moscow’s International Business Center, also known as Moscow-City. The cluster of skyscrapers stands out clearly on the Moscow skyline, and is set to grow further with the completion of more skyscrapers. The area provides a combination of business activity, luxury apartments and hotels and entertainment.

Moscow-City lies on the Presnenskaya embankment of the Moscow River, west of Red Square. The 76-floor Moscow Tower in the complex was the tallest building in the Commonwealth of Independent States before November 2012, at which point it was surpassed by the Mercury Tower in the same complex.

Mercury Tower stands at a height of 339 meters comprised of 75 floors, making it 33 meters taller than London’s Shard, which was opened to the public in February 2013. Moscow-City’s Federation Tower will also, upon completion, have a spire anticipated to reach 509 meters, separating the east and west towers, which would make it the tallest building in Europe.

New York City’s Trump Tower is a 58-storey mirror skyscraper, standing at 202 meters tall at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 56th Street. It was designed in 1983 as part of a joint project between  Trump and the Equitable Life Assurance Company. In 2006, Forbes valued the towers at $318 million.

In September 2013, Forbes magazine estimate Trump’s fortune to be worth $3.5 billion, placing him 134th in the “Forbes-400” ranking of the richest Americans. In addition to the Miss Universe project, Trump also owns a number of companies and brands spanning restaurants, men’s clothing and perfume.

Crocus Group was founded in 1989 as commercial enterprise Crocus International. Headquartered on the northwest outskirts of Moscow, next to the Moscow Ring Road, its complex there includes Crocus City, the Crocus Expo international exhibition center and the Vegas shopping mall.