Overview
- On October 17, Pentagon chief Pete Hegset wore a tie with repeating white–blue–red bands while seated opposite Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with President Donald Trump.
- The color sequence matched the Russian flag order, and a second identical set of stripes appeared below the first on the tie.
- Vice President J.D. Vance commented on X, writing, "Or maybe he wore America's colors."
- Coverage noted that the same three colors are also those of the U.S. flag, underscoring the uncertainty around any intended message.
- There was no explanatory statement or correction from Hegset or the Pentagon in the reporting cited.