"I decided to give him the ring as a symbol of the respect and admiration that I have for the Russian people and the leadership of President Putin," Kraft said in a 2005 statement obtained by USA Today.Several years later, Kraft claimed that the ring was not a gift and a call from the White House kept him from attempting to recover it.According to the Post, Kraft recalled this week that someone from the George W. Bush White House told him that "It would really be in the best interest of US-Soviet relations if you meant to give the ring as a present.”