Zelensky opts for more formal, calibrated wardrobe ahead of Trump meeting

KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has retuned his wardrobe since a disastrous Oval Office meeting with US President Donald Trump in February, switching his typical khaki military-style tee-shirts and long-sleeved tops for more formal, but still rugged, black suit-style jackets and shirts.

The media-savvy leader had wanted to show solidarity with the troops fighting Russia on the frontline.

But he was chided by a US reporter for not wearing a suit at the White House event, which

descended into a shouting match

over whether he was showing sufficient gratitude for US wartime support.

Since then, Mr Zelensky has worked to rebuild relations with Washington, whose military help Kyiv still badly needs, even though Mr Trump has shown no sign of resuming the donations of weaponry that his predecessor Joe Biden had instituted.

When

Mr Zelensky met Mr Trump at Pope Francis's funeral

in Rome in April, he wore a heavy black field jacket and black shirt buttoned to the collar, with no tie.

He sported a similar look when meeting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on June 23, and again at the dinner hosted on June 24 by the Dutch king that preceded June 25's Nato summit in The Hague.

Although he was not invited to the meeting itself, he met Mr Trump afterwards, with an agenda including a wish-list of arms purchases.

The subtle switch, stopping short of white shirt or tie, has captured attention on social media and from the Ukrainian edition of ELLE magazine, which on June 25 described his changed look as "visual diplomacy of a new kind".

The negative focus on Mr Zelensky’s attire at the White House was widely criticised by Ukrainians, who have largely rallied around their leader since Moscow’s February 2022 invasion.

A communications adviser for the president's office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. REUTERS