Russia wasted no time in dismissing both the outcome of the talks in Washington and the chances of a meeting sometime this year between Putin and Zelensky.

The homes in Yenokavan, 140 km north of Yerevan, are modest, generally two-story dwellings of Tufa rock – a dense material formed by ancient volcanoes with a characteristic pinkish hue. Many families have their own cow sheds.

The real question regarding Ukraine’s membership aspirations, therefore, is whether NATO Allies are willing and able to invest in the immense effort required to make collective defence credible.