For Volodymyr Zelensky, his Oval Office clash with Donald Trump was a stark demonstration of how important personal ties with Donald Trump will be to his chances of ending the war with Russia on acceptable terms.
Zelensky has scrambled to contain the damage in the two weeks since -- apologising to Trump, thanking him and the American people for their aid, and bending to his call for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.