NATO summit: 'How far should one go to accommodate Trump, who makes no secret of his disdain for Europeans?'
At home in the United States, his opponents protest under the "No Kings" slogan, but in Europe, nothing is too lavish when it comes to flattering Donald Trump's ego. That is why the president of the United States spent the night of June 24 in the royal apartments of Huis ten Bosch, the palace of the King of the Netherlands. He was the only head of state attending the NATO summit in The Hague to have the honor. While he had breakfast with King Willem-Alexander, the other 31 leaders, staying at their hotel, could only hope that this display of grandeur put him in a good mood for their plenary session.
Thankfully, only one session is on the agenda. Every step was taken to reduce the risk of an outburst by this irascible and unpredictable partner. Just one plenary meeting, unlike the usual summit rituals. Just one dinner, hosted by the king and queen, with spouses – the ideal setup to avoid contentious topics. The presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was the subject of lengthy negotiations: many member states wanted him there, but his participation risked irritating Trump. He was eventually included in the royal dinner, a less sensitive setting.
The thorny issue of how to reference Russia in the final statement also arose. In 2024, the communiqué from the Washington summit described Vladimir Putin's country as the most "significant threat." That was under Joe Biden. In 2025, such language no longer suits the White House.
How far should one go to accommodate a president of the United States who makes no secret of his disdain for his European partners or his contempt for the European Union? Faced with this dilemma for the past five months, the leaders of the continent chose to swallow their pride to avoid a rupture. So far, this approach has not been met with success.
On June 14, his birthday, Donald Trump held two diplomatic phone calls. He recounted the first on his Truth Social network in warm terms: "President Putin called this morning to very nicely wish me a Happy Birthday, but to more importantly, talk about Iran, a country he knows very well." The conversation, he said, lasted about an hour. He did not deem it necessary to inform his followers of his second call with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. She was the one who posted on X about a "good call" regarding the Middle East, energy, Ukraine, and trade – a discussion she had been desperately trying to secure for months.
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US rock band ZZ Top stormed the charts in 1983 with a song about a "Sharp Dressed Man," lyrics that this week could apply to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy is currently in The Hague attending this year's NATO summit in a bid to ensure continued Western military support for his country, which, more than three years since Russia's full-scale invasion, is still trying to repel Moscow's forces. And this time around, the Ukrainian president looks more formal than he has been since Russia's all-out war against Ukraine started in early 2022. Gone are the army fatigues Zelenskyy has worn since then; in their place is a blazer (albeit with military overtones), dress pants, and a dress shirt, sans necktie. But why the switch? There are several possible reasons. But first, let's take a quick look at why Zelenskyy ditched the more usual presidential attire of suit, dress shirt and tie in the first place. Between his election to the Ukrainian presidency in 2019 and the Russian full-scale invasion, Zelenskyy dressed much like any other head of state: he was clean-shaven and wore tailored suits, dress shoes, shirts and ties. But after the 2022 invasion, Zelenskyy opted for a sartorial switch, favouring instead sweatshirts, cargo pants and work boots. He has also worn a military-style vyshyvanka — a traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt that is part of the country's cultural heritage. The choice of clothes partly reflects the fact that he is Ukraine's commander-in-chief and is also a sign of solidarity with Ukraine's armed forces. "Zelenskyy dresses demonstratively. But the only message he wants to convey with his clothing is: 'In my country, there is a war,'" Ukrainian fashion historian Zoya Zvynyatskivska told The Kyiv Independent newspaper. "Everyone wants to forget. Everyone wants to move on. But he keeps reminding them." The Trump factor One occasion where no one was allowed to forget Zelenskyy's choice of clothes was a disastrous meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on 28 February. That meeting started then got worse. Trump and his Vice President JD Vance were in confrontational mode, berating Zelenskyy in front of journalists for not being grateful enough for US military support for the war effort and for "gambling with World War III." Zelenskyy was encouraged by Trump's team prior to the Oval Office meeting to wear a formal suit, something he declined to do, a decision that reportedly offended Trump. When Zelenskyy arrived at the White House, Trump greeted him with "You're all dressed up today." And Zelenskyy's combat attire was raised again by a journalist in the Oval Office. "Why don't you wear a suit? You're at the highest level in this country's office and you refuse to wear a suit," Brian Glenn, chief White House correspondent for Real America's Voice TV channel asked. 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He'll be riding high on the back of what he sees as a successful ceasefire deal ending 12 days of fighting between Iran and Israel and trumpeting that Iran's nuclear facilities have been "completely and totally obliterated." Prior to his arrival in The Hague, Trump shared a series of gushing text messages he'd received from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praising him for his military action against Iran and putting pressure on the alliance's allies to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP. "Mr President, dear Donald, congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, that was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do. It makes us all safer," one of the messages read. Zelenskyy's position at the summit and whether he will be able to secure continued American support for Ukraine remain unclear, but he would certainly be mindful of that February meeting at the White House and be more inclined to dress to impress. Clothes may not make the man, but this time around, they may make all the difference.
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