Zelensky's costume and a stream of thanks to Trump. Details of the White House meeting

The White House hosted a meeting between the presidents of the United States and Ukraine, Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky, which was also attended by European leaders. The event was marked by the fact that Zelensky arrived in a new suit, taking into account criticism after a previous visit to Washington. He also thanked Trump many times on several occasions. How the event took place in the capital of the United States — in the material of Izvestia.

A new suit

Zelensky appeared at the meeting with Trump in a new image for himself. Last time, his visit to the White House ended in a scandalous altercation with the US president, during which he rebuked the Ukrainian leader in an inappropriate manner. Then in February, Zelensky arrived in Washington in a black casual uniform instead of an official suit.

For the new visit, Zelensky updated his wardrobe and tried on a more formal outfit, which included a black field jacket, a black shirt and black trousers. He wore similar clothes designed by designer Viktor Anisimov to several other events this year, such as the funeral of Pope Francis, a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the NATO summit.

• The New York Times called Zelensky's outfit a "demilitarized zone located between the two sides of the military and classic style," noting the absence of a tie. The publication noted that Trump liked the costume. The US president himself hosted the guests in the same combination as at the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

• During a conversation with reporters, Trump pointed Zelensky to reporter Brian Glenn, who last time also expressed dissatisfaction with the appearance of the head of state. Zelensky exchanged joking remarks with him, pointing out that the journalist himself had not changed his clothes.

Zelensky's thanks

• During the previous meeting between Trump and Zelensky at the White House, US Vice President Jay Dee Vance, who was present, complained that the Ukrainian leader was not fully grateful for the help provided by the United States. As a result of this conversation, Ukraine was left completely without US military support for some time.

This time, Zelensky tried not to give rise to another such rebuke. During his opening remarks in the Oval Office, he said the word "thank you" eight times, mostly addressing Trump and thanking him for his attention and efforts to end the conflict.

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• Zelensky also thanked the First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump, for her letter addressed to Putin. He expressed his gratitude to the European partners who came with him to Washington. Zelensky voiced three more thanks during his answers to journalists' questions.

Other European leaders have also used this tactic to impress Trump. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called him "dear Donald" and thanked him for his efforts to reach a peace agreement. Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed gratitude for Trump bringing them together.

Break for a call to Putin

• The European leaders who accompanied Zelensky in Washington received special attention from journalists. Before going to the White House, they met at the Ukrainian Embassy. All the guests were there, except Macron. There were suggestions in the media that he was either late for the meeting or was not going to it because of the late arrival in the United States. He was also the last to arrive at the White House.

• When European politicians arrived at the residence of the US president, they were not given a proper welcome. Trump did not personally greet the guests, limiting himself only to going to the threshold to Zelensky, who arrived at the White House in an American Chevrolet Suburban.

• After a personal meeting with Zelensky, Trump held multilateral talks with the Europeans. Immediately after them, he made a phone call to Putin, during which they expressed their support for the continuation of direct negotiations between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine. At the same time, a number of media outlets reported that the call occurred right during a meeting with the Europeans, who had to wait for the end of the conversation.