A reporter in the Oval Office questioned the Ukranian leader on his attire during yesterday’s meeting.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has defended his decision not to wear a suit in the Oval Office after the move was branded ‘disrespectful’ by a White House reporter.
A report published by Axios suggested that Donald Trump was ‘offended’ by Zelenskyy’s lack of formal attire during yesterday’s fiery meeting in Washington.
The meeting, which was held with the hope of bringing about a minerals deal between the two countries, turned into something of a schoolyard shouting match, with Trump bluntly accusing Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War Three”.
he affair ended with Zelenskyy being kicked out of the White House, with Trump later posting on social media that Zelensky should return to Washington when he is “ready for peace”.
At one point during the back and forth between Trump, Vance and Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president was quizzed about his lack of formal attire by, Chief White House Correspondent for Real America’s Voice, Brian Glenn.
“Why don’t you wear a suit? You’re at the highest level in this country’s office and you refuse to wear a suit. Do you own a suit?,” he asked.
“A lot of Americans have problems, with you not respecting the dignity of this office,” added Glenn.
Trump’s advisers apparently told Zelensky’s team on multiple occasions that it would be more respectful for Zelensky to ditch his military-style attire when visiting the White House.
Zelensky arrived at the White House on Friday wearing a more formal black outfit with Ukraine’s national symbol embroidered on it.
Responding to the criticism, Zelenskyy said he faced more pressing problems with the war in Europe.
He added that he “will wear a kostium (Ukrainian for ‘suit’) after this war will finish” and it would be ‘maybe something like yours, maybe something better, maybe something cheaper’.
Zelensky has faced similar criticism in the past for his choice of outfits while attending major meetings with other world leaders.
In 2022, following Zelensky’s address to the US Congress, Commentator Tucker Carlson accused the Ukrainian leader of dressing like the ‘manager of a strip club demanding money’.
Others on social media also pointed out that when Elon Musk visited the Oval Office with Trump last month, he too did not wear a suit.
The extraordinary scenes from the Oval Office on Friday has prompted a series of responses from European leaders.
While Keir Starmer is yet to be make a comment, a spokesperson for No 10 says the Prime Minister has spoken to both Trump and Zelenskyy and that “he retains unwavering support for Ukraine, and is doing all he can to find a path forward to a lasting peace.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, who met Trump earlier this week, said: “There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a victim: Ukraine. We were right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago—and to keep doing so.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz posted on X that “nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians do”, before adding that “Ukraine can rely on Germany – and on Europe.”
