Zelensky returns to the Oval Office for the first time since his blowup with Trump. This time he is bringing back up.

The Ukrainian president’s outfit during his visit to the White House Monday reflects a change in approach since his disastrous meeting with US President Trump earlier this year.

New negotiation, new look. When President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine arrived at the White House on Monday to meet with President Trump, he had swapped the military-style clothing that has been his de facto uniform since the war with Russia began in 2022, for a more statesmanlike ensemble: black field jacket, black shirt and black slacks.

I love it.” Mr Trump was referring to Mr Zelensky’s decision to bow to American pressure and wear a suit-like garment to the meeting, an issue that had contributed to an acrimonious blow-up in the Oval Office in February (when Mr Zelensky wore a black sweater).

A summit in Paris six years ago was the first and only time the two presidents ever met, flanked by French president Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s then-chancellor Angela Merkel. At the time, Putin and Zelensky were looking to hash out a ceasefire deal for war in Donbas in Ukraine’s east, where Russia-backed forces were fighting Ukrainian troops.

U.S. President Donald Trump told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday that the United States would help guarantee Ukraine's security in any deal to end Russia's war there, though the extent of any assistance was not immediately clear.

(Reuters) -Following are key quotes from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's press conference after meeting U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders in Washington on Monday. Translation by Reuters.

The White House reportedly pressured Zelenskyy to wear a suit and tie to his Oval Office meeting with Trump. What he wore instead speaks to his strategy.