In the end, the 'Don and Vlad' show ended without a big finale.
After nearly three hours behind closed doors in Alaska, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin emerged like heavyweight prize fighters who had fought each other to a standstill.
They proceeded to talk briefly to the millions watching with bated breath on TV but revealed no specifics of what they had discussed.
The only conclusion for those in Kyiv, and in European capitals, was that the encounter had ended in stalemate, and there would be no immediate ceasefire in the Ukraine war.
Putin spoke first, and seemed the happier, jauntily inviting Trump to Moscow for another meeting.
