The White House asked Ukrainian officials if Zelensky would wear a suit to his Oval Office meeting with President Trump on Monday, two sources familiar with the matter told Axios. Zelensky eventually wore the suit, which President Trump praised during a White House briefing.

Trump welcomes Zelensky to the White House

Zelensky's attire became a hot topic before his previous meeting with Trump in the Oval Office in March, which turned into a diplomatic fiasco, Axios reports. Trump disliked Zelensky's military-style attire. When he welcomed him to the West Wing, he sarcastically remarked that"he's dressed up today."

Some US officials at the time believed the suit issue contributed to the disastrous outcome of the meeting, Axios reports.

Zelenskyy met with Kellogg before Trump, wore a T-shirt

Before meeting with the US president, Zelenskyy met with Trump's envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, where he appeared in a traditional short-sleeved T-shirt.

Axios sources said Zelensky will appear at the White House on Monday wearing the same black jacket he wore to the NATO summit in the Netherlands in June. It won't be a full suit, one of the sources said. He likely won't even wear a tie. The NATO summit was the first time Zelensky has donned a business-style jacket since the 2022 invasion, and U.S. officials said Trump was pleased.

"Zelensky came in like a normal person, not a crazy person, and he was dressed like someone who should be in NATO... So they had a good conversation," a US official told Axios at the time.

Zelensky did not wear a shirt even to the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV. He wore an outfit similar to a jacket, but without a tie.