Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at the White House today for the first time since an explosive row with Donald Trump in February.
The US President is hosting European leaders at the White House today to discuss plans for an immediate ceasefire to end the Ukraine-Russia war.
The Ukrainian leader was kicked out of the White House in a previous meeting after a shouting match erupted between the two leaders during a press conference, leaving Zelensky to walk out of the West Wing and into his SUV prematurely.
Amongst the fiery exchange, Brian Glenn, Chief White House Correspondent Real America’s Voice, asked Zelensky: ‘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?
‘A lot of Americans have problems, with you not respecting the dignity of this office.’
Responding to the criticism at the time, the Ukrainian leader 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 arrived at the White House in an all black suit after previously being criticised for his ‘casual’ combat clothing in his last visit
The Ukrainian President’s outfit choice appears to be a move to please the US President following an outburst earlier this year
The two leaders shake hands and share a smile as Zelensky arrives at the White House
President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting in the Oval Office became a shouting match
In a sign of support towards Zelensky, before the meeting escalated into a tense war of words, Trump quickly came to his aid and defended the president’s clothing.
‘I do like your clothing by the way,’ Trump said. ‘I don’t know if you two like each other, but I think he (Zelensky) is dressed beautifully.’
However, reports suggested that Trump privately was irritated by Zelensky’s attire.
The Ukrainian leader has rarely been seen wearing anything other than casual combat clothes since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and has even visited 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace without a suit.
Supporters of Zelensky have compared him to the UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who notably also refused to wear a suit during a visit to the White House in the midst of World War Two.
However, Zelensky was seen today wearing a suit in a potential bid to please the US President ahead of the crucial talks.
The European leaders travelling to Washington DC today are being dubbed Mr Zelensky’s ‘back-up’ following the previous acrimonious visit to the White House.
Ahead of today’s meeting, Trump posted a series of angry social media posts, tearing into the ‘fake news’ media for calling the meeting a ‘big loss‘.
Donald Trump appears to complement Zelensky on his clothing as he arrives at the White House
The two leaders share a friendly greeting after an explosive showdown between the pair earlier this year
Zelensky was not wearing a tie but chose to dress in a black shirt with a black suit and trousers
Zelensky seen in an all black suit as he joined European leaders in the at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington DC
President Zelensky arriving in casual combat clothes at the White House in February, which led to questions from reporters and allegedly irritated the US President
Zelensky has rarely been seen wearing anything other than combat clothing, including for a meeting at Buckingham Palace with King Charles in February
Volodymyr Zelensky was also seen in his familiar attire for a visit to 10 Downing Street earlier this year
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives at the White House for the crucial talks today
‘Actually, it is a great honor for America!!!’ he insisted.
The president also defended his high-stakes meeting with Russian President Putin on Friday in Alaska, which ended without a ceasefire deal or rough framework for peace with Ukraine.
He also sent supporters into a tailspin on Sunday after posting a one-word message ‘bela’ to his Truth Social without additional context.
Tempers flared on all sides during February’s Oval Office showdown. Trump threatened to abandon Ukraine completely if Zelensky did not agree to his peace terms. He also accused the Ukrainian leader of not being grateful.
Zelensky showed Trump photos he brought of the devastation to his country, and argued he had thanked the American people.
The yelling match was unlike anything ever seen publicly in the Oval Office. And it played out on TV screens across the world.
‘You’re gambling with World War III,’ Trump bellowed Zelensky at one point.
Both men were tense and on the defensive as they repeatedly tried to talk over one another. Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., seated to the side in the Oval Office, buried her face in her hands.
Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands at the end of a joint press conference after participating in a US-Russia summit
Trump greets Putin on the tarmac after they arrived at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska,
Donald Trump greets Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House ahead of talks between European leaders
France’s President Emmanuel Macron arrives to meet with leaders at the White House
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte arriving at the White House for the talks between world leaders
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz greets Monica Crowley, White House chief of protocol outside the White House
After the heated meeting Trump announced he had asked Zelensky to leave.
The row started when Trump was pressed on historic Russian domination of its neighbors and repositioning the U.S. toward Russia.
‘If I didn’t align myself with both of them, you’d never have a deal,’ Trump explained. ‘You want me to say really terrible things about Putin and then say: ‘Hi, Vladimir. How are we doing on the deal? It doesn’t work that way. I’m not aligned with anybody. I’m aligned with the United States of America.’
Then Vice President JD Vance jumped in.
‘I will respond to this. So look, for four years the United States of America, we had a president who stood up the press conferences and talked tough about Vladimir Putin, and then Putin invaded Ukraine and destroyed a significant chunk of the country,’ said Vance.
‘The path to peace and the path to prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy.
Then a fight over history ensued, as Zelensky ran through Ukraine’s 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea. After Zelensky mentioned 2015, Trump jumped in: ‘I was not here.’
‘But during 2014 till 2022 … people have been dying on the contact line.
During the meeting Brian Glenn (pictured), Chief White House Correspondent Real America’s Voice, asked why Zelensky didn’t wear a suit
Vice President JD Vance injected into the conversation to criticize Zelensky
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky departed the White House prematurely earlier this year
UK Prime Minister WInston Churchill notably also refused to wear a suit during a visit to the White House in the midst of World War Two
Then he brought up broken ceasefire and other agreements. ‘What kind of diplomacy JD was speaking about?,’ asked Zelensky.
‘I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country, Mr. President, Mr. President, with respect. I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media,’ Vance told Zelensky, whose country has been under siege since 2022, and who came to Washington to ink a deal that will give the U.S. access to its rare earth minerals.’
‘Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems, you should be thanking the president,’ Vance told him.
Vance accused Zelensky of bringing in dignitaries to his country on ‘a propaganda tour’
‘Do you think that it’s respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America and attack the administration is trying to prevent the destruction of your country?’ Vance berated him.
Zelensky tried to respond, but that only angered Trump more.
‘Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel, because you’re in no position to dictate,’ he said.
‘You’ve allowed yourself to be in a very bad position,’ Trump told Zelensky, after last week calling him a ‘dictator’ and blaming Ukraine for starting the war
President Zelensky will be keen not to see a repeat of the same acrimonious encounter with Trump on his last visit
Volodymyr Zelensky addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on December 21, 2022
Yelling with his face getting red, Trump intoned: ‘You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now … You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.
‘You’re gambling with World War Three. You’re gambling with World War Three, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country – this country that’s backed to you far more than a lot of people say they should have.
‘Have you said thank you once, this entire meeting,’ Vance said next in the tag team pile-on.
‘You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October,’ Vance, said, characterizing Zelensky’s trip to an ammunition factory.
‘Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country,’ he demanded.
‘You think that, if you will speak very loudly,’ Zelensky tried to counter in his accented English.
‘He’s not speaking loudly,’ Trump said. ‘Your country is in big trouble.’
‘I know,’ Zelensky responded. ‘You’re not winning. You’re not winning this,’ Trump told him.
President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting in the Oval Office involved 50 minutes of arguing, finger-wagging and fury
Zelensky got a moment to try to counter, saying ‘in our country, staying strong, from the very beginning of the war, we’ve been alone, and we are thankful.’
Trump contradicted him, telling him he hadn’t been alone.
‘We gave you, through this stupid president, $350 billion we gave you military equipment,’ he said, overstating the amount of military hardware.
Trump said Zelensky’s men are ‘brave,’ but then told him, ‘If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.’
‘It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this,’ Trump said.
That brought Vance back to demanding thanks.
‘Just say thank you,’ Vance told him.
‘I said it a lot of times,’ Zelensky responded.
Then Trump gave remarks indicating the blow-up was serving a purpose for him.
‘I think it’s good for the American people to see what’s going on. I think it’s very important. That’s why I kept this going so long. You have to be thankful you don’t have the cards. You’re buried there. You people are dying. You’re running low on soldiers,’ Trump said.
NATO Secretary general Mark Rutte, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington DC
Ukrainain President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hugs Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, during a meeting with some of the European leaders
‘You’re running low on soldiers. Listen, you’re running low on soldiers. It would be a damn good thing. Then you tell us, “I don’t want a cease fire. I don’t want a cease fire,’ Trump said, delivering a mocking impression of his counterpart. ‘I want to go, and I want this – look, you could get a ceasefire right now, I tell you, you take it so the bullets stop flying and your men stop getting killed.’
‘Of course I want to stop the war. What I said to you – with guarantees,’ Zelensky said. He has been pushing for security guarantees from the U.S.
Shortly after the argument, Trump ended the public part of the meeting.
‘This is going to be great television, I will say that,’ he said.
As press was being ushered out, President Trump reached over and patted Zelensky’s shoulder.
