President Donald Trump’s first words to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he showed up to the White House Monday afternoon for talks about ending the years-long war with Russia turned a lot of heads. Zelensky arrived at the White House on Monday wearing a casual jacket over a collared shirt, a choice that drew praise from Trump.
“I don’t believe it,” and “I love it,” Trump said when greeting Zelensky, comments which were caught on video.
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JUST IN: President Trump comments on Zelensky's attire as he arrives at the White House.
"I don't believe it… I love it!" pic.twitter.com/iGuu3G7Cku
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 18, 2025
Just hours before the high-stakes White House meeting, Zelensky appeared at the Ukrainian Embassy in a t-shirt for talks with Trump’s Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg. The White House had requested that he dress more formally for the later meeting.
During their February encounter at the White House, Trump mocked Zelensky’s casual attire, sarcastically remarking that he was “all dressed up today.” Vice President JD Vance also scolded him for failing to show more gratitude for the hundreds of billions in U.S. aid sent to support Ukraine’s war effort against Russia.
That meeting ended with Trump and Vance cutting it short and sending Zelensky home early — a major diplomatic setback for the Ukrainian leader.
As recently as Monday morning, the White House reportedly pressed Ukrainian officials on whether Zelensky would wear standard Western business attire for his meeting with the leader of the free world in the Oval Office, underscoring the diplomatic weight of the occasion.
Reports indicated that Zelensky planned to wear a “military-style suit” for his meeting with Trump, though he would forgo a tie. Zelensky “will be in a suit, but the style still remains in a military key with the same symbolism: he is the Head of State, which is at war,” Elvira Gasanova, a Ukrainian designer of Zelensky’s costumes, said.
