Some in his circle, such as his son Donald junior, delight in the idea that Mr Trump will cut off Ukraine’s “allowance”, ie, the billions America is giving it in military and economic support to fend off Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Vladimir Putin, who was in Kazakhstan's capital Astana noted that Donald Trump had overcome a “serious test” to return to the White House, referring to the two assassination attempts he survived during the US presidential election campaign.