But fundamental differences remain. The US envoys had come hot foot from Moscow where Vladimir Putin had told them Russia was making “tangible advances” on the battlefield.

The story they heard from Ukraine was different, in fact the opposite. Ukrainian officials claim that in August they gained more territory than they lost and Russia suffered 42,000 casualties, dead or wounded.

Putin had also told the US envoys the root causes of the conflict had to be addressed, shorthand for his longstanding strategic demands that Ukraine cede territory, abandon hopes of joining Nato and reduce the size of its army.

After the talks, Zelensky insisted Ukraine would require “strong and clear” security guarantees, including a strong army. Nor did he give any sign of being willing to give up any territory in the eastern Donbas region, an issue he described dryly as “difficult”.