Zelenskyy gave Trump a golf club from wounded Ukrainian soldier: Who is Kostiantyn Kartavtsev?

Monday’s meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, was starkly different from the one the two had back in February. That resulted in a shouting match and the Ukrainian leader abruptly leaving the White House.

However, none of that occurred on Monday (August 19). In fact, the two leaders shared laughs and smiles with Zelenskyy even gifting Trump a golf club.

During his visit to the Oval Office, Zelenskyy presented the 79-year-old president with a golf club. Trump is an avid golfer and owns several courses in the United States, including Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and even Scotland.

The golf club was of significance as it earlier belonged to Kostiantyn Kartavtsev. According to Zelenskyy’s office, Kartavtsev was a Ukrainian soldier who “had lost a leg in the first months of Russia’s full-scale invasion while saving his brothers-in-arms.”

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As per a video published by Ukrainian veteran organisation United by Golf, Trump is seen holding the golf club and thanking Kartavtsev. “I just watched your swing. I know a lot about golf, and your swing is great,” he said in the video.

He further said, “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.”

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Trump accepted the gift and presented the Ukrainian president with symbolic keys of the White House, Kyiv said. “The president of Ukraine presented the president of the United States with a golf club,” Zelenskyy’s office said on Tuesday.

This was not all that Zelenskyy brought with him. He also brought a letter for Melania Trump from his wife, Olena, thanking the US First Lady for writing to Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to save children’s lives.

Zelenskyy’s clothes capture attention

Apart from the gift, Zelenskyy's choice of attire was also in the spotlight. On Monday (August 18), he reached the White House dressed in formal wear rather than his usual military uniform to meet Trump and Vance. This drew a reaction from the US president, who commented that Zelenskyy was “all dressed up today.”

Notably, in his previous visit, Zelenskyy had been criticised for appearing without formal attire, with a reporter even questioning him about not wearing a suit.

“Why don’t you wear a suit?” asked Brian Glenn of Real America’s Voice. “You’re at the highest level in this country’s office, and you refuse to wear a suit. Do you own a suit? A lot of Americans have problems with you not respecting the dignity of this office.”

Zelenskyy replied that he would wear the“costume” once the war was over.

With inputs from agencies