Putin has also — though too late in the day, some might say — succeeded in unifying what looked like a rabble response from western countries. The US, UK and EU are taking a collective approach to the punishing sanctions they would impose if Putin invades and there is now a rapid build up of Nato troops in the Baltic and close to Ukraine.

It is now clear, for example, that Germany will not open the important Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Europe if there is an invasion (though Germany is yet to formalise that). ‘It is the opposite of what Putin wanted,’ said a source. ‘Though our initial disunity was not helpful’.

As for the appearance of chaos in the so-called special relationship between the UK and US, which Putin will have been enjoying for months, that has also been dampened.

My sources tell me that at the end of their 40-minute call tonight, Johnson told the American president the UK wanted to do everything it could to help, and Biden responded ‘we’re not going anywhere without you pal’.