Zelenskyy gifts Trump golf club of Ukraine war veteran
Trump, an avid golfer who owns several courses, accepted the gift and presented Zelenskyy 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 Zelenskyy left the White House early following a televised shouting match with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance.
Since that tense encounter, Zelenskyy has sought to repair ties, flattering Trump 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,' Zelenskyy's office said Tuesday.
The club previously belonged to 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.
Zelenskyy showed Trump a video of Kartavtsev, it said.
Later on Tuesday, Ukrainian veteran organisation United by Golf published a video of Trump holding the golf club and thanking Kartavtsev.
'I just watched your swing. I know a lot about golf and your swing is great,' 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.
Zelenskyy also brought a letter for 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 Trump with various gifts.
In late February, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer brought him an invite for an official visit with a letter signed by King Charles III.
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Cambodia and Thailand Officials from Thailand and Cambodia credit Trump with pushing the Asian neighbors to agree to a ceasefire in this summer's brief border conflict. Cambodia and Thailand have clashed in the past over their shared border. The latest fighting began in July after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Tensions had been growing since May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thai politics. Both countries agreed in late July to an unconditional ceasefire during a meeting in Malaysia. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pressed for the pact, but there was little headway until Trump intervened. Trump said on social media that he warned the Thai and Cambodian leaders that the US would not move forward with trade agreements if the hostilities continued. Both countries faced economic difficulties and neither had reached tariff deals with the US, though most of their Southeast Asian neighbors had. According to Ken Lohatepanont, a political analyst and University of Michigan doctoral candidate, 'President Trump's decision to condition a successful conclusion to these talks on a ceasefire likely played a significant role in ensuring that both sides came to the negotiating table when they did.' ___
