In the White House, the meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky had a touch of irony. The Ukrainian President, who arrived in the full military uniform, was the target of a humorous observation of Trump: “He today came every Janota”
Zelensky’s choice of not presenting himself with a formal fact, as he would be expected to a head of state, did not go unnoticed.
Trump’s team would have suggested to the Ukrainian leader that the use of the fact would be a good way to give a message of respect and formality, but Zelensky has kept his choice for military clothing, which has become one of his brands since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
For Trump, the choice of Ukrainian may have been more than a mere issue of style – it was an affront, a challenging protocol break that. But behind the image that many could consider “informal”, there is a much deeper and more symbolic reason. We will arrive there.
Interestingly, Zelensky is not the first leader to question clothing rules in the White House. In 1943, Winston Churchill, icon of the fight against Nazism and one of Trump’s heroes (words of his own), also performed without the traditional fact. It is also curious that other allies of Donald Trump, such as Elon Musk, were also seen in the White House without fact – no stir beyond.
About Churchill: During a visit to Franklin D. Roosevelt, the British leader opted for a Macaco-Fight Fact, much more appropriate to the war situation that then lived to Europe. As with Zelensky, his choice was not a simple whim, but a powerful political message.
And it is in this context that irony becomes even more poignant: the bust of Churchill, present in the room during the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy, seemed to witness a moment that somehow repeated the story. Churchill’s bet on dressing in a functional way, closer to the war, not the formality of power, echoed in Zelensky’s posture.
If for Trump, the question of the fact is a small but significant, detail, for Zelenskyy the combat costume carries a much broader symbology. Your outfit is a clear sign: Ukraine is not at peace, and he is not there to pretend the war is over.
This is a moment that goes beyond mere clothing conventions. Zelensky’s costume is a statement of war, a continuation of his struggle, a choice of solidarity with his armed forces and the Ukrainian people. Thus interpret analysts. And unlike other leaders who may see an imposition of the protocol in fact, for Zelensky the clothing is an extension of his battle.
Only when the conflict comes to an end, which is uncertain, can Zelenskyy return to the formal fact. Until then, your uniform will be your way of saying that you are imbued with the principles of a struggle for national survival.
