Zelensky gifts Trump golf club of Ukraine war veteran
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US President Donald Trump welcoming his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House on Aug 18, and later thanking Ukrainian serviceman Kostiantyn Kartavtsev in a video for the gift of a golf club.
PHOTO: SCREENSHOT: EPA, INSTAGRAM/UNITEDBYGOLF.UA
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- Zelensky gifted Trump a golf club from a Ukrainian soldier who lost his leg saving comrades.
- Trump thanked the soldier in a video, praising his golf swing and Ukraine.
- Zelensky also delivered a letter from his wife to Melania Trump thanking her to urging Putin to save children.
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KYIV – During his visit to Washington
Mr Trump, an avid golfer who owns several courses, accepted the gift and presented Mr Zelensky with symbolic keys to the White House in return, the Ukrainian leader’s office said.
The warm exchange marks a stark turnaround from February, when Mr Zelensky left the White House early following a televised shouting match
Since that tense encounter, Mr Zelensky has sought to repair ties, flattering the US leader in public appearances and praising his efforts to secure peace.
“The President of Ukraine presented the President of the United States with a golf club,” Mr Zelensky’s office said on Aug 19.
The club previously belonged to Mr Kostiantyn Kartavtsev – a Ukrainian soldier who “had lost a leg in the first months of Russia’s full-scale invasion while saving his brothers-in-arms”, the office said.
Mr Zelensky showed Mr Trump a video of Mr Kartavtsev, it added.
Later on Aug 19, Ukrainian veteran organisation United by Golf published a video of Mr Trump holding the golf club and thanking Mr Kartavtsev.
“I just watched your swing. I know a lot about golf, and your swing is great,” Mr Trump said in the video.
“You’re an amazing person, and you just keep playing golf and doing all of the other things. Your country is a great country. We’re trying to bring it back to health,” he added.
Mr Zelensky also brought a letter for Mrs Melania Trump from his wife Olena, thanking the US First Lady for writing to Russian President Vladimir Putin and urging him to save children’s lives.
Foreign leaders visiting the White House have been trying to woo Mr Trump with various gifts.
In late February, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer brought him an invitation for an official visit with a letter signed by King Charles III. AFP
