Kanye West's friendship with Donald Trump is well-known, but he now appears to be courting Vladimir Putin, a close buddy of Trump, in order to expand his Yeezy empire into Russia.

According to Billboard, Kanye will travel to Moscow later this year to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In addition, for the first time in Russia, the rap legend will bring his Sunday Service series to the country.

According to Kanye's confidant and strategic advisor Ameer Sudan, it's all part of the millionaire rapper/fashion mogul's goal to expand his commercial endeavors in Russia, which will soon be his "second home." Sudan said, "He'll be spending a lot of time out there."

Business dealings with Azerbaijani-Russian billionaire real estate developer Aras Agalarov and his son Emin are at the top of Ye's Russian agenda, which might happen in the spring or summer depending on his availability. Details are yet to be revealed, but according to Sudan, Kanye's $1.8 billion net worth might increase to $10 billion as a result of the plans.

With approximately 4 million total square meters of built property in Russia and a portfolio of retail complexes, superstores, fashion brands, department stores, boutiques, and more, the Agalarovs' Crocus Group is a key player in the Russian real estate industry.

Kanye's connection with the Agalarovs, who have ties to both Putin and Trump, will also see him collaborate on songs with Emin in order to enhance his profile in the United States. The 42-year-old has released over a dozen albums and performed in Azerbaijan in 2012 as a support act for Jennifer Lopez.

According to Sudan, Kanye West has wanted to meet with Vladimir Putin and bring his Sunday Service gigs to Russia since the series began in 2019. During his Drink Champs interview in November, Ye compared himself to Russian President Vladimir Putin, referring to himself as "Young Putin."

“I used to say I was young Vladimir, until I realized I was Vladmir … when I realized that culture is an oil, culture is an energy and I’m the king of culture for the past 20 and the next 2,000 years,” he declared.

The Sunday Services performances are expected to take place either Moscow's Crocus City Hall music venue, which seats over 7,300 people, or the Luzhniki Stadium, which seats 81,000 people. Kanye intends to invite Putin as a special guest to one of the gospel performances.

Apart from his well-documented political agenda, Kanye West's Putin ambitions are intriguing, especially given his tumultuous connection with Hip Hop. Due to their themes of sex, drugs, and protest, the long-serving president famously declared war on rap music, accusing Russian rappers of establishing "a route to the destruction of the nation."

In 2018, Putin eased his stance on hip hop, arguing that it should be regulated instead. "If it is impossible to stop, then we must lead it and direct it,” he said at the time.

Kanye West, on the other hand, has never been able to be controlled. "This is Ye. Ye is going to get there regardless. What are they going to say?" Sudan informed Billboard that he will be a special guest of the Agalarovs.

"Kanye knows what’s going on more than the average human being, he’s well aware of things. And it’s nothing against the United States or to cause conflicts, but Ye is Ye — he can’t be controlled."