On august 16th, a day after his summit with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin summoned Russia’s grandees to the Kremlin’s Hall of the Order of St Catherine. Built in tsarist times to show off the glory of the Russian empire, the hall was the setting for Mr Putin’s account of his achievements during the visit to Alaska, a former imperial possession. He praised Mr Trump’s “sincerity” and efforts to end the war. “It moves us closer to making necessary decisions,” he said.