The extraordinary demands of the Russian leader to weaken Ukraine would make a mockery of any peace deal

• Vladimir Putin agrees to 30-day halt to attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid

Donald Trump began his conversation with Vladimir Putin with a simple demand: a 30-day ceasefire on land, sea and air which Ukraine has already signed up to, as an initial measure on which to build towards a peace.

Instead, what the US president got from Putin were questions, half-offers and limited concessions – and, above all, an extraordinary demand from the Russian leader to weaken Ukraine that would make a mockery of any peace agreement.