"I have great respect for you": Trump thanks Ukrainian soldier for gift of golf club
US President Donald Trump has thanked Ukrainian serviceman Kostiantyn Kartavtsev for sending him a gift – a golf club that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy handed over to him during their meeting at the White House.
Source: Trump in a video address
Details: Trump called Kartavtsev’s golf swing "great", and said he would become "a very good golfer".
Quote: "I also want to thank you for this putter. It’s beautiful, and it’s made with real love, and it’s given to me with real love from you. I appreciate that. I have great respect for you. You are an amazing person."
Details: The US president also encouraged Kostiantyn, who has lost a leg, to keep playing golf and "doing all of the other things", and promised to think of him "every time I sink a putt".
"Your country is a great country, and we’re trying to bring it back to health. And your president is working very, very hard to make it that way. So, again, I want to thank you. Keep swinging! The putter is beautiful – I will use it," Trump added.
Details: Kostiantyn Kartavtsev, a junior sergeant in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, lost a leg in the first few months of the full-scale invasion as he was rescuing some of his brothers-in-arms.
Despite the amputation, he has continued playing sport, including indoor rowing, golf and archery. Kostiantyn trains in one of Kyiv’s parks together with his son.
In October 2023, Kostiantyn, as part of a Kyiv team of injured servicemen, competed in the first national adaptive golf tournament.
Background:
- On 18 August, Zelenskyy and Trump held a meeting at the White House ahead of talks with European leaders.
- Zelenskyy described his conversation with Trump as "very good" and said the US president had promised to help bring back deported children and facilitate the exchange of all prisoners.
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