They pushed him to hold elections in the middle of the war, believing no doubt that Ukrainian voters would do them the favour of unseating him. Two months ago Mr Zelensky was believed to be dead set against holding a vote.

Volodymyr Zelensky says Washington's proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table for too long without a proper response from Moscow.

As the war morphs into a deadly routine, it's harder for him to hold the attention of allies, and to keep people like Trump on his side.