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‘See, I changed’: Ukraine's Zelensky to White House reporter who had mocked his outfit
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope that Monday’s gathering would eventually pave the way for three-way talks with Vladimir Putin.
Dressed in a black military-style suit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House on Monday for a meeting with Donald Trump, where he quipped to a reporter, “You’re in the same suit.”
At the Oval Office, a White House reporter remarked, “President Zelensky, you look fabulous in that suit.” Trump quickly interjected, saying, “I said the same thing.”
Pointing towards reporter Brian Glenn, Trump added, “And he’s the one that attacked you last time.”
Zelensky, smiling, said he remembered him and jokingly noted that he was wearing the same outfit as he had during their first meeting with Trump.
“You’re in the same suit. See, I changed, you have not,” Zelensky told the reporter, who also apologised to the Ukrainian leader for his conduct.
On February 28 this year, Zelensky had been confronted by the same reporter, who asked: “Why don’t you wear a suit? Do you own a suit? A lot of Americans have problems with you not respecting the dignity of this office.”
In response, Zelensky had replied, “I will wear a costume after this war will finish.”
Earlier on Monday, as Zelensky arrived at the White House, Trump was seen pointing towards his attire. Zelensky smiled and said, “The best I have.”
Later, President Donald Trump told Zelensky that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine’s security in any deal to end Russia’s war, though the scope of such assistance was not immediately clear.
Trump made the pledge during an extraordinary summit at the White House, where he hosted Zelensky along with a group of European allies. The meeting came just days after Trump’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Both Trump and Zelensky expressed hope that Monday’s gathering would eventually pave the way for three-way talks with Putin, whose forces have been slowly grinding forward in eastern Ukraine.
In a social media post late on Monday, Trump said he had called the Russian leader and begun arranging a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, to be followed by a trilateral summit among the three presidents.
The last direct talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Turkey in June. At that time, Putin declined Zelensky’s public invitation for a face-to-face meeting, sending a low-level delegation instead.
