Two volunteers with the Ukrainian Club of Moncton are trying to make the best of last week’s confrontation at the White House, which caused outrage around the world.
Last Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice-president JD Vance in the Oval Office to discuss Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia.
The meeting turned into a shouting match, with Trump and Vance tearing into the Ukrainian leader for what they considered a lack of gratitude for the more than $180 billion the U.S. has supplied for military aid since Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago.
Zelenskyy was also criticized by the American leaders for not wearing a suit to the meeting.
Nataliia Haidash, who volunteers with the club, was frustrated and angry by what she saw and heard – but she wasn’t surprised.
“I think no matter what he wore on that day, the result of that meeting would be the same because it was a trap,” said Haidash.
“It was all set up and from the minute Trump met him until the end of the meeting, it was obvious. They just used the suit as an excuse to pick on him, to bully him, to humiliate him.”
Zelenskyy came to the meeting in Washington dressed in a black sweatshirt with the Ukrainian coat of arms, also known as the tryzub.
It’s an outfit he’s worn for years, whether he’s visiting his soldiers or world leaders.
After the contentious meeting in Washington, someone reached out to Haidash over the weekend and asked if they had any of Zelenskyy’s trademark shirts.
Haidash checked with her artist friend Alina Dymarchuk to see if they could make one.
“Nataliia asked me if I could do this because she had a message from someone. ‘Do you have sweatshirts like Zelenskyy style? And we decided to try and do it,” said Dymarchuk.
“So, I responded, ‘Sure, no problem. Let’s do this!’”
It’s a simple process.
Dymarchuk buys the sweatshirts at a local retail store and then designs and prints the tryzub using a computer.
The coat of arms is then heat-pressed onto the shirts.
About a dozen have been made so far – at $45 each – and more orders are starting to come in.
Like Haidash, Dymarchuk was angered and frustrated by how Zelenskyy was treated in Washington.
“I believe as many Ukrainians, even now, I felt like I was being betrayed,” said Dymarchuk. “It was tough, tough to see.”
She doesn’t think it was an issue that he didn’t wear a suit to the White House.
“For me, it was not a big deal because the president, he supports his country, those who are fighting for our country, our freedom every day. To be concerned about what to wear? I don’t think it’s a big problem,” said Dymarchuk.
Haidash said Ukrainians in Moncton have been using “all means possible” to raise money for the Ukrainian Army so it can purchase medication, equipment, clothing and other supplies for the frontline troops.
She said the Ukrainian Association has provided over 500,000 CAD to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and civilians between February 2022 and February 2025.
“This aid was made possible through generous donations from the community, local businesses, and grants from various partners,” she said.
Haidash hopes peace will eventually come to her homeland.
“We always see the end. We always hope for that. But the end of this war should be peace on Ukrainian terms and this peace should be just and lasting,” said Haidash.
Orders can be placed by visiting the Ukrainian Club of Moncton’s Facebook page.
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