Reason Volodomyr Zelenskyy did not wear suit at Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration

Pope Leo XIV was officially inaugurated in his new role this morning, with leaders from around the world joining to celebrate as he succeeds Pope Francis.

While neither King Charles nor Keir Starmer turned up to see Pope Leo handed the traditional gifts given to the new leader of the Catholic Church on Sunday morning, there were plenty of other leaders from across the world.

Having already made history as the first ever American pope, it was no surprise that vice-president JD Vance was in attendance in Vatican City, where it seems he was able to make up with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy following their explosive White House chat earlier this year.

This is despite the 40-year-old previously taking issue with the fact that Zelenskyy showed up to the White House not wearing a suit, although perhaps he has now learned why that is, after the president of the war-torn country did the same, both at Pope Francis' funeral, and this morning at the inauguration.

It turns out that there's a very good reason why the 47-year-old has stuck with black trousers, boots and a black jumper embroidered with a Ukrainian trident in recent times.

By wearing clothing which is reminiscent of military attire, it seems that he wants his outfits to remind people around the globe that his country is still very much at war with Russia.

Zelenskyy and Vance shook hands (Jacquelyn Martin - Pool/Getty Images)

After US reporter Brian Glenn accused Zelenskyy of 'not respecting the dignity of the Oval Office' back in February, he explained his reasoning, saying: "I will wear costume after this war will finish. Maybe something like yours, maybe something better. We will see, maybe something cheaper."

He made a similar statement in the documentary A Year, created by Ukrainian TV star Dmytro Komarov, while showing off a blazer which he intends to wear when Ukraine reigns victorious.

"It's a symbol," Zelenskyy said, as per the Kyiv Independent. "It means that the war will be over soon, we will win soon, and we all will wear suits again."

Others have also suggested that Zelenskyy's choice of clobber, in front of the millions of people watching on both in person and on TV, is more important than you might think.

Designer Elvira Gasanova previously told Politico: "When world leaders see Zelenskyy in military style, it is a signal - 'Ukraine is at war and I am part of this fight.'

"A persistent call to return to the suit is a de facto demand to return to the usual format of political dialogue, which means ‘enough of war, sit down at the negotiating table'."

"During war, the president is not just a politician, but the supreme commander of the army and civilians under martial law," she said. "The classic suit would be perceived as a detachment from the reality of the front.

"And his clothes help him to keep the world’s attention on the war in Ukraine."