Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave Donald Trump a highly symbolic gift on his Washington visit this week, a golf club belonging to an injured Ukrainian soldier.
Trump, an avid golfer with multiple courses under his belt, received the gesture with an open arm. He reciprocated by presenting Zelenskyy with the ceremonial keys to the White House, as per a release from the office of the Ukrainian president.
The meeting was in stark contrast to their tense encounter last February, when Zelenskyy stormed out of the White House following a televised shouting contest with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. Zelenskyy made efforts in the visible sense to repair relationships ever since, appreciating Trump's efforts in pursuing a possible peace agreement with Moscow.
On Tuesday, his staff clarified that the beautiful golf club was owned by Kostiantyn Kartavtsev, a Ukrainian soldier who had his leg amputated in the first few months of Russia's all-out invasion as he saved fellow fighters. Zelenskyy also presented Trump with a video of Kartavtsev, adding to the personal significance of the gift.
The same day, the Ukrainian veterans' group United by Golf released a video of Trump holding the club and speaking directly to Kartavtsev. "I just watched your swing. I know a lot about golf, and your swing is great," Trump said. Hailing the soldier "an amazing person," he added, "Your country is a great country. We're trying to bring it back to health.
Zelenskyy also bore a letter from his wife, Olena, to Melania Trump, in appreciation of the former first lady for urging Vladimir Putin to save children's lives amid the war.
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Foreign leaders have increasingly resorted to symbolic presents to reach out to Trump. In February, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer gifted him a letter from King Charles inviting him to London.
To Zelenskyy, this latest move is a message of both appreciation and strategy, as Ukraine looks for robust support from Washington while it rides out Trump's ever-changing view of the war.
