The fates of nations have rarely, if ever, been decided by sartorial choices.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was certainly hoping that a spot of fashion diplomacy Monday could get U.S. counterpart Donald Trump to help his country reach a peace deal with Russia.

Despite the life-and-death matters unfolding in Ukraine, much of the speculation among the White House press corps was about whether Zelenskyy would wear a suit.

In February, Ukraine’s wartime leader was ridiculed by a right-wing U.S. reporter for wearing military-style garb instead of a business suit when he visited the Oval Office.

That mocking exchange set the tone for an astonishing blow-up a few minutes later when Trump and Vice President JD Vance proceeded to berate Zelenskyy for not being “grateful” for U.S.

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