How a chaotic 24 hours unfolded ahead of Trump and Zelenskyy's crunch White House talks
In the aftermath of , the US president's deal-making skills came under question when he seemingly walked away empty-handed.
But it was clear he had retained his ability to catch everyone off guard, as a meeting between him and President unexpectedly became a last-minute White House peace summit.
The invitation to European leaders drifted out, and within hours, had grown to include six more, as world leaders dropped everything to fit in with Mr Trump's unpredictable timetable.
There were signs of disorganisation behind the scenes.
When the British Prime Minister's spokesman was asked who the invite had come from - the White House or the Ukrainian president - they replied: "A bit of both."
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Meanwhile, the meeting of the coalition of the willing - a Starmer and Macron-led group of Ukraine's European allies - had a nervous feel to it as members resolved to stand firm with Ukraine - even if it puts them at odds with the US.
At times, it sounded like they were trying to convince themselves they could do it.
And as all of this frantic diplomatic reaction played out, the man in the middle of it all headed to the golf course - calm at the centre of the diplomatic storm he created as his allies swirl around him.
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