Suit or military casual? What Zelenskyy will wear to meet Trump

Dress code problem at the previous meeting

On February 28, during his visit to the White House, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared at the meeting with the head of the United States in a dark sweatshirt and khaki pants.

This provoked a negative reaction from Trump.

"He is all dressed up today," he remarked ironically.

Zelenskyy and Trump (photo: Getty Images)

Some American officials believe that this choice of clothing partly influenced the unsuccessful outcome of the negotiations.

What image he will choose this time

According to sources, Volodymyr plans to arrive at the White House in the same dark jacket he wore at the NATO summit in the Netherlands in June.

"It is going to be 'suit-style' but not a full suit," one of the interlocutors explained.

This choice had already made an impression before: it was at the NATO summit that Zelenskyy appeared for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in a business jacket.

"Zelensky came like a normal human being, not crazy, and was dressed like a somebody that should be at NATO. ... So they had a good conversation," one American official commented at the time.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump (photo: Office of the President)

What they think in Trump's camp

One of Trump's advisers, with a touch of humor, noted that Zelensky's appearance in a classic suit "would be a good sign for peace."

"We don't expect him to do that," he added.

"It would be great if he wore a tie but we don't expect him to," another official said.

Sources also revealed that then–Vice President J. D. Vance was even more irritated not by Zelensky's appearance, but by his manner of behavior during the previous meeting.

This time, Zelenskyy does not plan to wear a tie, according to sources.

'A suit after victory'

The President of Ukraine has refused to wear a classic suit since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Former Polish president Andrzej Duda had earlier expressed a wish to see Zelenskyy in a suit at an international summit, as it would symbolize the end of the war.

By the way, during the Oval Office meeting in February, one journalist directly asked Zelensky: "Why don't you wear a suit? Do you own one?"

Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: rada.gov.ua)

To which Zelenskyy replied: "Do you have problems?"

"A lot of Americans have problems with you not respecting the dress code of the Oval Office," the journalist clarified.

In response, Volodymyr assured that he would wear a suit after the Russian-Ukrainian war ends.

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