Donald Trump seems impressed as Zelensky says thank you 7 times in 50 seconds

During his latest visit to Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went out of his way to strike a very different tone compared to his previous Oval Office meeting with Donald Trump.

Six months ago, Zelensky had faced a frosty reception. He wore his familiar military-style outfit, which Trump’s Vice President JD Vance criticized as too casual for the setting. That meeting ended on an awkward note, with Trump suggesting Zelensky was not showing enough gratitude for U.S. support.

This week, things looked noticeably different. Zelensky arrived in a sharp black suit and shirt. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed. Trump greeted him warmly, praising the change with a big smile. Even Brian Glenn, the MAGA-aligned reporter who had mocked Zelensky months earlier for not wearing a suit, complimented him this time. Trump jokingly reminded Zelensky of Glenn’s earlier jab, which Zelensky acknowledged with a laugh.

But what really stood out was the Ukrainian leader’s repeated expressions of gratitude. In his short remarks, Zelensky thanked Trump seven times in under a minute. He emphasized his appreciation for Trump’s “personal efforts to stop killings and stop this war.” This was a stark contrast to February’s testy exchange.

Zelensky also made sure he wasn’t alone in this visit. He was backed by an impressive lineup of European leaders, including NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and German CDU leader Friedrich Merz.

Together, they joined Trump and Zelensky for a White House summit focused on Ukraine and the next steps in coordinating international support. Trump later posted on Truth Social: “A big day at the White House. We have never had so many European Leaders here at one time. A great honour for America!!! Let’s see what the results will be???”

This meeting came just days after Trump’s controversial encounter with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which had already unsettled some of America’s allies in Europe. Zelensky’s Washington trip, with a united European front, looked like a deliberate attempt to balance that narrative.