Oval Office ambush sees US weapons fired at Zelensky

Ukraine’s president sat down to discuss what he thought was a mineral deal with a Donald Trump who’d had an affable week of diplomacy with other Europeans.

- SAM KILEY

It was a trap. Volodymyr Zelensky walked into an ambush.

Warmly greeted on his arrival at the White House, he was met by Trump at the door who joked that the Ukrainian president had spruced himself up for the meeting by wearing an all-black outfit.

Pretty soon, Zelensky was reeling. The early shots, in what would escalate into a volley of assaults by JD Vance, the US vicepresident, came from a journalist. “Why don’t you wear a suit?” he was asked.

It wasn’t a question, it was an insult. And one that has been a constant meme on right-wing, anti-Ukrainian, Russian-backed social media posts, which have made much of Zelensky’s combat-style uniform he has worn at all international meetings since his country was invaded.

“I’ll wear a costume like yours when the war is over,” Zelensky replied and shifted in his golden chair, rolling his eyes. “I have got more serious things to do than answering such questions,” Zelensky said, going on to explain that Vladimir Putin had broken “25 ceasefires” after previous agreements to stop fighting.