White House asks if Zelenskyy will wear suit to Trump meeting - Axios
The White House asked Ukrainian officials whether President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would wear a suit to his meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office, scheduled for August 18.
This was reported by Axios, citing two sources, according to Censor.NET.
The publication notes that Zelenskyy's attire became an issue ahead of his previous meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, which "turned into a diplomatic fiasco."
Sources said Zelenskyy will show up at the White House on Monday wearing the same black jacket he wore at the NATO summit in the Netherlands in June.
"It will be 'costume-style', but not a full costume," said one of the interlocutors.
The NATO summit was the first time Zelenskyy had worn a business suit since the invasion began in 2022, and US officials said Trump was pleased with this.
One of Trump's advisers, partly joking, told reporters that "it would be a good sign for peace" if Zelensky wore a suit on Monday, but added: "We don't expect him to do that."
Axios describes Trump as a big believer in looking the part. That, in his view, means wearing a suit.
"But his dissatisfaction with Zelenskyy last time was not only related to clothing," Trump's advisers said. According to them, Zelenskyy "has become better at dealing with Trump."
When asked whether the summit would be a repeat of the last one, the adviser replied: "No, absolutely not."
