Ukraine’s President was met by Abigail Jones, Acting Chief of Protocol of the US State Department, which corresponds to the protocol for receiving foreign heads of state or government during a working visit.
Kremlin media and pro-Russian bloggers write that no one met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in Washington when he flew to the American capital on a working visit. According to propagandists, this allegedly indicates the current attitude of the Trump administration towards Zelensky and Ukraine.
In reality, the statement that «no one has met Zelensky» is outright misinformation. The President of Ukraine published a video of his meeting in Washington, which shows that there were not just representatives of the Ukrainian delegation on the runway of the plane. In particular, Vladimir Zelenskyi was met by White House Acting Chief of Protocol of the US State Department Abigail Jones.
The US protocol for receiving foreign heads of state or government is strictly differentiated depending on the type of visit. During a state visit, guests are greeted by the US president or vice president, during a working visit by the head of protocol of the State Department. Zelensky’s visit in October 2025 was a working visit aimed at discussing military and energy aid. The meeting at the airport at the level of the head of the protocol of the State Department fully complies with the rules for visits of this level.
In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s work program in Washington was full and included high-level meetings and negotiations. On October 17, the President of Ukraine met with the US President in the White House, Zelensky also met with the Secretary of the US Energy Ministry, Chris Wright, to discuss support for the Ukrainian energy system and joint projects, held talks with the heads of leading American defense corporations, including Lockheed Martin (manufacturer of the F-16) and Raytheon (manufacturer of Patriot systems) to discuss the strengthening of Ukraine’s air defense system. He also met with members of the Senate and House of Representatives to ensure further bipartisan support.
The Irish citizen Chay Bowes, who works for the Russian disinformation network, said that since none of the Americans came to meet Zelensky, they made «his own pilot» welcome the president, meaning a man in uniform seen near the gangway. Although in fact, the photo is not Zelenskyi’s pilot at all, but the Ukrainian Defense Attaché in the USA, Major General Borys Kremenetsky. The meeting of the president by diplomats, including the military attache, is also a standard practice during such visits.
Earlier, StopFake refuted the fake that Zelensky allegedly admitted Tomahawk terror plot.
