European leaders left Washington on Monday with a palpable sense of relief, having avoided a breakdown with Donald Trump over Ukraine – but in the cold light of day, doubts are growing over the substance of the “breakthroughs” they claimed.

After meetings with Trump that bordered on the obsequious, eight European leaders – including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – trumpeted the trip as a success.

“This was the best of our meetings,” Zelensky said. “I was able to show many things, even on the map, to all American colleagues regarding the situation on the battlefield.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: “My expectations have not only been met, but exceeded … it could have turned out differently.”

The Europeans pointed to a US openness to security guarantees for Ukraine andprogress towards a bilateral summit between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Merz said could happen in the next two weeks.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted Trump’s support for returning the thousands of Ukrainian children captured by Russian forces since the start of the war, thanking him “for his clear commitment today to ensuring these children are reunited with their loved ones.”