Newly released documents have revealed that disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein once sought a direct line to the highest levels of power in Moscow — including an attempted approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin — with help from former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, according to a report by The New York Times.

The report, based on files released last month in the Epstein case, describes a quiet but determined effort around 2014 by Epstein to cultivate connections inside Russia’s political elite. Central to that effort, investigators found, were his repeated meetings with Barak. There is no evidence that Barak engaged in any wrongdoing, and the documents do not suggest he knowingly facilitated illicit activity.

Still, the records indicate that Epstein hoped Barak’s international standing could help open doors in Moscow.

Beyond Barak, Epstein pursued multiple channels in his attempt to reach the Kremlin. According to the Times, he also sought introductions through two Norwegian diplomats and Slovakia’s foreign minister. At the same time, he tried to arrange a meeting with Russia’s longtime foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov.

None of those efforts appear to have succeeded.

The documents show that Epstein never secured a meeting with either Putin or Lavrov. He did, however, manage to meet with Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, suggesting that while he failed to penetrate the highest levels of power, he was able to establish contacts within Russia’s diplomatic sphere.

Investigators say Epstein viewed Russia as a potential source of influence, opportunity, and leverage.

According to the report, he believed the country could offer political and business advantages, and he also saw it as a potential source of women for his trafficking network. The files describe Russia as part of Epstein’s broader global strategy to embed himself among political leaders, diplomats, and power brokers.

For years, Epstein cultivated relationships with presidents, prime ministers, academics, and financiers, using his wealth and social access to position himself as a behind-the-scenes fixer and connector. The Russia outreach, the Times reports, fit squarely into that pattern.

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