On the second day of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Volodymyr Zelensky, Rishi Sunak, and Joe Biden appeared to the cameras to be longtime friends.
The group, who were seated side by side, were seen laughing before starting work.
The Ukrainian president has displayed diplomatic skill throughout the war, beguiling world leaders as both guests and hosts to win their support against Russia.
Like a rock star, he received huge support from the crowds, and was seen shaking hands with politicians.
Zelensky said it was ‘good news’ that they could advance discussions on security guarantees for his nation.
The PM has consistently stated that he sees Ukraine’s place as being in Nato but its pathway to entry has proved tricky for allies in Vilnius.
Behind the scenes, he has been working on a non-Nato multilateral defence and economic agreement for Ukraine to give it long-term support against current and future Russian aggression.
All members of the G7 – made up of the UK, the US, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada – are set to sign the pact, which has the potential to ‘return peace to Europe’.
Little detail has been published about what the G7 pact entails but No 10 said it would lead to increased intelligence sharing, further training of Ukraine’s forces and plans to boost the country’s own defence industry.
Some eastern European experts have warned that Zelensky’s position has only got ‘weaker’ after the summit despite his positive messages to his people.
Sergej Sumlenny said in a retweet to the president’s comment about the Nato-Ukraine council: ‘Don’t fool yourself: it is not a sign of happiness.
‘Zelensky is trying to calm down his domestic critics and sweeten the pill for the Ukrainians. His positions got weaker after the Nato summit.
‘One of multiple bad consequences of the weak and short-sighted Nato summit decision.’