Before Emmanuel Macron’s proposed one-month truce, there was a plan to halt strikes on energy infrastructure between Russia and Ukraine. Officials from Kyiv and Moscow even flew to Qatar to hold preliminary talks over the idea.

It was hoped that by striking a tacit agreement on a partial ceasefire covering energy infrastructure, Ukraine could gauge if Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, was ready to commit to broader peace talks.

There was progress.

Russian and Ukrainian intelligence officials reached an understanding and the number of long-range strikes on each country’s energy infrastructure dropped.

But then Ukraine sprung a surprise attack, opening up a salient inside Russia’s southern Kursk region, leading to a collapse in the negotiations.

The idea of a partial pause was revived by Mr Macron, France’s president, as he flew back from a gathering of international leaders in London on Sunday.

He said the one-month ceasefire would cover attacks “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure”.