Axios: White House wonders what Zelensky will wear to meeting with Trump

The White House wondered if President Volodymyr Zelensky would wear a suit to his meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office on August 18.

This is reported by Axios, citing its sources.

This time, sources say, Zelensky will arrive in the same black jacket he wore to the NATO summit in the Netherlands in June. It is described as a “suit-style jacket,” but not a full suit.

It was at the NATO summit that Zelensky first appeared in more business-like attire since the start of the full-scale invasion. According to sources, Trump was pleased at the time.

Sources also add that the President of Ukraine does not plan to wear a tie.

Advisers explain that appearance is important to Trump — in his opinion, a world leader should wear a suit. However, his dissatisfaction last time was not only related to clothing.

When asked if this meeting risks repeating the last one, Trumpʼs advisor said no, because both presidents have made great progress. In addition, this time Zelensky will be at the meeting with European leaders, which, according to the advisor, will give the negotiations a completely different character.

Why is this important?

The issue of Volodymyr Zelenskyʼs suit is a concern for the White House because of the dispute that occurred during the first meeting between the Ukrainian and American presidents on February 28. On that day, they were supposed to sign an agreement on rare earth minerals. However, during a brief session answering questions from journalists, the Ukrainian and American leaders took a raised tone.

Zelensky was wearing a black hoodie, but not a suit, at the time. He faced probing questions and comments from conservative American journalist Brian Glenn about his choice of clothing.

“Why aren’t you wearing a suit? Do you have a suit? Many Americans see the problem in the fact that you don’t respect the dignity of the office,” the reporter said.

According to Axios, President Trump was also angered by the clothes worn by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with him on February 28.

After a verbal altercation, the journalists left the meeting, and it later became known that Volodymyr Zelensky had left the White House early. Trump said that the Ukrainian president was not ready for peace. The countries did not sign the agreement.

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