Foreign investments will rebuild a “cleaner, greener, more modern” Ukraine, “that is a member of the EU,” von der Leyen said, even though Ukraine only completed two out of the seven criteria to begin the accession process.

On the explosive issue of immigration, the two leaders played it safe and emphasised the importance of “dialogue,” insisting as much on the “bilateral” as the “multilateral.”

Biden’s casting of the Chinese leader in the role runs the risk of hobbling any progress Secretary of State Antony Blinken might have made in restoring trust between the two superpowers.

A new book traces the words and deeds of eight leaders who devoted their lives to their fellow Jews.