Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump. Photo: Getty Images

US Vice President JD Vance’s cousin, Nate Vance, believes that the negative comments the vice president made about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s appearance during his meeting with Donald Trump at the White House last winter were “a performance aimed at someone who was not in the room”. He suggested that it may have been done for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

Source: European Pravda, citing Nate Vance in an interview with German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin

Details: The interviewer reminded Nate Vance that Zelenskyy was criticised on camera for not wearing a suit during his visit to the Oval Office in late February. Nate was shown a photo of himself with JD Vance in casual clothes.

Advertisement:


When Nate was then asked if this was an act of solidarity with Zelenskyy, he responded that it was not intentional.

 

JD and Nate Vance.

Photo: Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazine

“I asked JD: ‘Hey, I don’t want to sound cynical, but I don’t have a suit. Is that a problem?’ He replied: ‘Don’t worry, just come in. We have visitors all the time’,” he said.

According to Nate, JD Vance is aware of why Zelenskyy doesn’t wear a suit.

“We talked about it, he’s not stupid,” Nate said. “And he [JD Vance] didn’t take it as disrespectful. That’s one of the reasons why I think the whole show with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office was aimed at someone who wasn’t in the room.”

When asked if the performance could have been directed at Putin, he replied: “It’s possible.”

Zelenskyy has not worn a suit since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Polish President Andrzej Duda once said he hoped to see Zelenskyy at a future summit “in a suit”, as that would symbolise the end of the war in Ukraine.

One of the reporters in the Oval Office asked Zelenskyy why he did not wear a suit to a meeting at the highest-level office in the United States.

“Why don’t you wear a suit? Do you own a suit?” the journalist asked.

“Do you have any problems?” Zelenskyy replied.

“A lot of Americans have problems with those who don’t respect the dress code of the Oval Office,” the journalist replied.

Zelenskyy said he would wear a suit when the Russo-Ukrainian war is over.

Background: Media reports have indicated that one of the things that irritated Trump at his meeting with Zelenskyy was the fact that the Ukrainian leader did not wear a suit.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!