Overview
- Photos from the White House show Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wearing white, blue and red stripes in the order of Russia’s flag, prompting criticism on X.
- Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev shared the image with a Russian flag emoji and posted further taunts directed at U.S. officials.
- Russia’s state agency TASS noted the stripe sequence and design, and outlets cited an online listing describing a similar accessory as a “Russian plain flag tie.”
- Vice President JD Vance defended Hegseth on X by saying the tie could represent U.S. colors, and no U.S. official has attributed pro‑Russia intent.
- The flare‑up unfolded as Trump and Zelensky discussed security guarantees, with reporting indicating Kyiv would not receive Tomahawk missiles.