FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
" It's not a question of the suit, it's a question of what will happen to Ukraine ."
This was stated by Ukrainian designer Viktor Anisimov, the creator of the suit that President Volodymyr Zelensky wore on Monday during meetings at the White House with US President Donald Trump and European leaders on ending the war in Ukraine.
More than three years after the start of Russian aggression, Zelensky continues to ask world leaders for a peace solution that does not involve either the surrender of territories or the abandonment of aspirations for NATO membership.
In February, his choice to wear a simpler, military-inspired uniform, from the Ukrainian brand Damirli, drew criticism from Trump and Vice President JD Vance, sparking a wide debate in the media and social networks. Zelensky then responded with humor: “I will wear a suit after this war is over. Maybe something like yours. Maybe better. Maybe cheaper, I don’t know.”
Anisimov, 61, said in a media interview that he had seen the debates and criticism, but that the decision to work on a more formal style for the president had been made much earlier, back in January.
" I knew the reaction to that Oval Office meeting well, but that was not the reason for the change. I know our president – he would not change just because of criticism. We continued the work we had started. He does not talk about this topic with me, but we know the situation ," he said.
Anisimov, who created his brand ViktorAnisimov in 1997, continues to produce collections from war-torn Ukraine. For him, the significance of the meeting lies not in the suit: “ I don’t care who the president will wear. What matters is the outcome of these meetings. I care more about who will stand by us as a nation .”
Monday's visit to the White House also included bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
The stylist divides his life between Ukraine and Spain, where he lives with his one-year-old daughter and the family dogs. He said:
" When the war doesn't touch you, it doesn't seem scary. But when it does, it's real horror. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. My life, like that of many Ukrainians, has been divided in half: before and after the war. Anyone who has never been under fire can never understand how painful the loss is when friends, relatives, sons of people you saw yesterday, no longer exist today ," he said.
Lini një Përgjigje