Ukraine and Europe woo Trump away from Putin with suits, golf and praise

While the Kremlin smarted, a sense of relief swept through Ukraine and across Europe after Zelenskyy's summit with President Trump.

KYIV, Ukraine — What a difference a suit makes.

After his February fiasco in the Oval Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "fabulous" fashion decision — as well as the golf club, personal letter and supportive European leaders he brought with him — appear to have helped shift the mood of his high-level White House talks on peace with Russia.

While the Kremlin publicly smarted, a sense of relief swept through Ukraine and across Europe after the summit Monday with President Donald Trump.

Zelenskyy hailed it Tuesday as “a truly significant step” toward ending the war.

His team came away from the talks relieved that worst case scenarios were avoided and pleased that Trump now appears to recognize the crucial importance of security guarantees for Kyiv to secure any peace agreement — and the need for the U.S. to play a role in those arrangements, a source familiar with the Ukrainian government’s thinking told NBC News.