Volodymyr Zelensky may be unwilling to make political and territorial concessions in his war with Russia, but on Monday, the Ukrainian president made allowances of his own, arriving at the White House in a suit jacket.
The wartime leader went with a military-style, all-black suit jacket for the hastily arranged, high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump, whose aides piled up on the Ukrainian at an explosive Oval Office sit-down in February for being “disrespectful” to the U.S. by not wearing a suit and tie.
This time around, Zelensky earned praise from Trump. “Yeah, you look good,” Trump said, sitting beside Zelensky in the Oval Office.
The ensemble was a departure from his usual garb. Since Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Zelensky has worn combat gear and sweatshirts or polos with the Ukrainian national symbol as a show of solidarity with soldiers fighting the Russian army on the war’s frontlines.
He was in his typical combat-garb while meeting Trump’s special representative, Keith Kellogg, in Washington D.C. on Monday morning, donning a black short-sleeve T-shirt with black combat pants.
But Zelensky broke from that tradition in the afternoon, perhaps signaling his first concession to Trump after White House officials reportedly put pressure on the Ukrainian leader to wear a suit to the Oval Office for the meeting.
The request marks efforts from Trump’s aides to avoid a repeat of Zelensky’s infamous Oval Office visit in February.
At the time, Vice President JD Vance — who was present during Monday’s meeting— hurled accusations at Zelensky, among them that he was being “disrespectful” to the U.S. by not wearing a suit and tie in the Oval Office.
Trump, too, partook in the pile on: “He’s all dressed up,” Trump said to reporters as he greeted Zelensky for the February meeting.
Zelensky’s attire became a flashpoint for conservative media, despite its resemblance to those worn by previous wartime leaders during visits to the White House, including Britain’s prime minister during WWII, Winston Churchill.
Brian Glenn—another Real America’s Voice pundit and the boyfriend of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)—also told Zelensky he looked “fabulous” in this suit on Monday.
In February, the pundit sparred with Zelensky, saying “Why don’t you wear a suit? You’re at the highest level of this country’s office and you refuse to wear a suit. I just want to see, do you own a suit?” Glenn asked.
“I have problems,” Zelensky quipped, perhaps referring to the war that has killed some 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 14,000 civilians.
“I will wear costume after this war will finish,” he said to Glenn, using the Ukrainian word for suit. “Maybe something like yours, maybe something better.”
Elvira Gasanova, a Ukrainian businesswoman and designer of the Damirli brand that produces one of Zelenskyy’s signature looks, confirmed to Politico that he would step up his wardrobe for the meeting.
“This time the President [Zelenskyy] will be in a suit, but the style still remains in a military key with the same symbolism: he is the Head of State, which is at war,” she said.
Monday’s historical meeting between the two presidents is occurring alongside an extraordinary slew of major European leaders who are presenting a united front in support of Ukraine.
Monday’s talks, which come on the heels of Trump’s summit meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, could help bring an end to Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.
Trump used his Truth Social account to show his stance going into the meeting, writing, “President Zelensky of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.”
Trump on Friday rolled out the red carpet for Putin, who has largely been ostracized by the international community since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. After greeting him like an old friend, Trump let Putin talk first at a post-summit press conference—with no actual questions allowed—and even gave him a lift in his armored “Beast” limousine.
After inconclusive peace talks with Putin in Alaska, Trump called Zelensky on Saturday, with the Ukrainian president agreeing to the Monday meeting to “discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war.”
During the call, Trump offered support for U.S. security assurance for Ukraine after the war, a shift from his stance that Europe should bear the burden of protecting the country, though the specifics were unclear.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
