The humiliation of President Zelensky on live TV by Donald Trump and his attack dog sidekick JD Vance was a horrifying spectacle that disgraced the most powerful office on the planet.

The irony of Ukraine’s courageous leader being labelled disrespectful after his shocking treatment at the hands of what has been its most important ally in the fight against Putin’s army, really is hard to overstate.

Trump wouldn’t know respect if it turned up caked in his own bright orange make-up.

That extraordinary diplomatic car crash was the moment that the international order shifted permanently. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has been signalling that Europe can no longer rely on the US to be its prime military protector.

But the unforgivable humbling of Zelensky seemed to indicate something more serious. Europe is perilously close to being abandoned by a US president who seems to think his “America First” mantra must come at the cost of some of the most enduring alliances in the Western world.

The ramifications will be far-reaching, starting with an immediate existential crisis for Nato.