The photos showed Hegseth wearing a tie with white, blue, and red stripes, which some social media users claimed resembled the Russian flag.
Photo : Twitter
US Vice President JD Vance came to the defence of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth after photos of him at a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sparked online controversy over the colors of his tie.
The photos showed Hegseth wearing a tie with white, blue, and red stripes, which some social media users claimed resembled the Russian flag. The image quickly went viral, with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Special Envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, sharing the photo alongside a Russian flag emoji.
Vance Defends Hegseth
Responding to the online backlash, Vice President Vance defended Hegseth on social media platform X, saying the tie could very well represent the colors of the American flag. Vance reposted commentary from American YouTuber and former US Army officer Jake Broe, who criticized those spreading the controversy as “people who love Putin and Russia.”
Despite Vance’s defence, many netizens were unconvinced. Some pointed out that an American flag design usually includes stars, not just stripes, and others found an online listing describing what appeared to be the same tie as a “Russian plain flag tie.” This added to ongoing speculation and criticism online.
Purpose Of Meeting
The photos were taken during Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington on Thursday, which included a public briefing and a private lunch with President Donald Trump. Trump said that the US would work with Ukraine to push Russia toward peace but confirmed that Kyiv would not be receiving Tomahawk missiles.
Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said Russian forces had launched drone and missile strikes targeting energy and transport infrastructure ahead of winter, hitting power stations, substations, and railway lines.