JD Vance's cousin Nate: Zelenskyy-Trump spat was "performance for someone who wasn't in room", possibly Putin
Nate Vance, cousin of US Vice President JD Vance, believes that comments about the appearance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his meeting with Donald Trump at the White House in the winter were "a play aimed at someone who was not in the room". He suggested that it may have been done for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
Source: European Pravda, citing Nate Vance in an interview with German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazine
Details: Nate Vance was reminded that during a visit to the Oval Office in late February, Zelenskyy was criticised on camera for not wearing a suit, and he was shown a photo of himself with JD Vance in casual clothes.
When asked if this was an act of solidarity with Zelenskyy, he responded that it was not intentional.
JD and Nate Vance.
Photo: Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazine
"I asked JD: 'Hey, I don't want to sound cynical, but I don't have a suit. Is that a problem?' He replied: 'Don't worry, just come in. We have visitors all the time'," he said.
Nate noted that JD Vance knows why Zelenskyy is not wearing a suit.
"We talked about it, he's not stupid," Nate said. "And he [JD Vance] didn't take it as disrespectful. That's one of the reasons why I think the whole show with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office was aimed at someone who wasn't in the room."
When asked if this performance could have been directed at Putin, he replied: "It's possible".
Zelenskyy has not worn a suit since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Polish President Andrzej Duda once wished that Zelenskyy would come to one of the summits "in a suit" to symbolise the end of the war in Ukraine.
In February, a reporter asked Zelenskyy in the Oval Office why he did not wear a suit to a meeting at the US highest-level office.
"Why don't you wear a suit? Do you own a suit?" the journalist asked.
"Do you have any problems?" Zelenskyy replied.
"A lot of Americans have problems with those who don't respect the dress code of the Oval Office," the journalist replied.
After that, Zelenskyy said he would wear a suit after the Russo-Ukrainian war ends.
Background: Media reports indicate that one factor that irritated Trump at his meeting with Zelenskyy was that the Ukrainian leader did not arrive in a suit.
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