Encouragingly, and with the full spirit of the entente cordiale speeding them on, the French president and the British prime minister will be delivering much the same message to Donald Trump when he makes time for them at the White House this week.
For all the complexities of the situation, Emmanuel Macron – and, on Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer – will say something very simple and straightforward to the president: Ukraine must have a seat at the negotiating table. The argument, which should be irrefutable, is that there can be no lasting peace in Ukraine without Ukraine.