WATCH: Trump Greets Zelenskyy At White House, Indulges In Banter On Black Suit Months After Attire Trolling
Zelenskyy met Trump at the White House amidst a gathering of European leaders to discuss a potential peace deal with Russia. Trump has asked Ukraine to make concessions.
US President Donald Trump greeted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday, with a string of European leaders arriving in Washington for what is being seen as a decisive round of talks on a possible peace deal with Russia. Asked about his message to Ukraine, Trump remarked while welcoming Zelenskyy, "We love them".
Zelenskyy was seen wearing a black suit, an attire he has been repeatedly seen in after he faced ridicule in the US earlier this year during his previous White House meeting with the US President.
President Donald J. Trump welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House 🇺🇸🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/tqbdBCZyg2
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 18, 2025
A US journalist who questioned him previously on whether he owns a suit went on to compliment his attire, saying, "You look fabulous in that suit!"
This was followed by Trump, who said, "I said the same thing. That's the one that attacked you last time."
Zelenskyy went on to quip, "I remember that (interaction). You're in the same suit. I changed mine."
#WATCH | Washington, DC | During the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a journalist complimented President Zelensky for his attire.
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2025
US President Donald Trump adds, "I said the same thing..."
(Video: White House) pic.twitter.com/ODG7osdd4d
During that infamous Oval Office spat, the pro-Trump reporter had asked Zelenskyy, "Why don't you wear a suit?" The Ukrainian President responded that he would wear a suit when there is peace in Ukraine. Citing the state of Kyiv, he remarked he will continue to wear his military garb until peace was guaranteed for the Ukrainian people.
According to PTI, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was the first to arrive, followed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Leaders from France, Germany, Italy and Finland also joined in a show of support for Ukraine as Trump urged Kyiv to make concessions to Moscow.
Air raid sirens sounded over Kyiv at the same time, news agency AFP reported, with overnight Russian strikes leaving at least seven people dead, including two children.
Trump-Zelenskyy One-on-One
Zelenskyy was scheduled to meet Trump for a one-on-one in the Oval Office. The meeting came just days after Trump’s summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where he declared that Ukraine must surrender Crimea and drop its NATO membership ambitions — Moscow’s key demands.
The Ukrainian leader struck a conciliatory tone, describing the talks as “very serious” and adopting Trump’s familiar phrase: “President Trump has that strength. We have to do everything right to make peace happen.”
Ahead of the White House session, Zelenskyy also met Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg and reiterated on social media his call for “a reliable and lasting peace for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe.”
I thank @GeneralKellogg for the meeting and for the joint work with our team. President Trump invited Ukraine and other European countries to Washington today – this is the first meeting in such a format, and it is very serious.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 18, 2025
When peace is discussed for one country in Europe,… pic.twitter.com/ZMZaIzAghD
As called for increased pressure on Russia, the Ukrainian President thanked European allies for their show of support, "Together with the leaders of Finland, the United Kingdom, Italy, the European Commission, and the NATO Secretary General, we coordinated our positions ahead of the meeting with President Trump. Ukraine is ready for a real truce and for establishing a new security architecture. We need peace."
Our main goal is a reliable and lasting peace for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe. And it is important that the momentum of all our meetings lead to precisely this result. We understand that we shouldn't expect Putin to voluntarily abandon aggression and new attempts at… pic.twitter.com/lSlBPJNKZo
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 18, 2025
Trump, 79, meanwhile, signalled his combative stance in a series of posts on Truth Social: “I know exactly what I’m doing. And I don’t need the advice of people who have been working on all of these conflicts for years, and were never able to do a thing to stop them.”
European Leaders Push for ‘Just Peace’
European leaders held a preparatory meeting with Zelenskyy earlier in Washington. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters on his flight: “We’ve got to make sure there is peace, that it is lasting peace, and that it is fair and that it is just.”
Reports cited by AFP suggested Putin might consider Western security guarantees for Ukraine under any peace deal, though he remained opposed to Kyiv joining NATO. US media further noted that Russia could contemplate freezing the frontline if Ukraine ceded the entire Donbas region — an idea viewed as unacceptable in Kyiv.
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said Moscow had made “some concessions” on territory, but Ukrainian voices were firm against such compromises. Yevgeniy Sosnovsky, a photographer from Russian-occupied Mariupol, told AFP: “Ukraine cannot give up any territories, not even those occupied by Russia.”
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