Trump immediately calling the Russian leader after Monday’s meetings is similar to his quick outreach to Zelensky after he met with Putin last week in Anchorage, Alaska. Ever since Trump met with the Russian president on Friday, he has backed away from calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine and instead said he hoped for a full peace deal.

A few of the leaders were said to have interrupted summer holidays to fly to the United States on less than 24 hours’ notice to meet with the Ukrainian leader.

It is quite possible that Monday's meeting in the White House could prove even more crucial to the future of Ukraine - and for all of Europe's security - than last Friday's US-Russia summit in Alaska. On the surface, that Putin-Trump reunion seemed to live down to every expectation.