Donald Trump has called on Volodymyr Zelensky to show ‘some flexibility’ ahead of bilateral peace talks with Vladimir Putin and said the UK could have boots on the ground as part of Ukraine’s security guarantees.

Basking in the great atmosphere of the summit, Volodymyr Zelensky gave Donald Trump a golf club that belonged to a serviceman fighting Russia’s invasion during his visit to the White House.

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.

Trump, an avid golfer who owns several courses, accepted the gift and presented Zelensky with symbolic keys to the White House in return, the Ukrainian leader’s office said.

Mr Zelensky showed Mr Trump a video of Mr Kartavtsev, it said.

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.

The warm exchange marks a stark turnaround from February, when Zelensky left the White House early following a televised shouting match with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance.

Since that tense encounter, Zelensky 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,’ Zelensky’s office said Tuesday.