Sitting beside the French president, Mr Trump pointedly declined to call Vladimir Putin a dictator, saying “I don’t use those words lightly.” Mr Macron seemed cautiously upbeat about his visit to the White House.

The French president navigated a White House meeting which came as Europe-US relations are strained over the war.

French President Emmanuel Macron was prepared to present a unified case for Europe when he arrived at the Oval Office on Monday, at a moment when transatlantic ties have rapidly deteriorated.