If the art of managing Donald Trump is an exercise in deference, the European leaders gathered in Washington DC this week to discuss an end to the Ukraine-Russia conflict could be said to have achieved some level of mastery. Conversation at the summit hummed along, with a certain degree of cordiality evident in the exchanges, even if there were misgivings about the terms of the “peace” proposed by the US President. Sufficient gratitude was expressed by all the guests for the host’s attempts to end the three-year-long war. And, most notably, as observers of every political hue pointed out, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wore a suit (or something like one, but we will get to that).

Given that Zelenskyy’s refusal to dress “appropriately” was blamed for playing a part in how poorly his February visit to the White House had gone, this could be seen as progress. Six months ago, Trump had been visibly irked by Zelenskyy’s appearance in his army green sweatshirt and cargo pants, greeting him with the sarcasm-laden observation, “Oh, you’re all dressed up”. The military-inspired outfit has come to be closely associated with the........

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