Release the Kraken: the British King will try to change Trump’s attitude to Ukraine
17 September 14:55
Ukraine’s allies are trying their best to keep Donald Trump on their side, and this week even King Charles of England will be involved in such a mission. This is stated in Politico’s article “Ukraine’s best hope for influencing Trump? King Charles.”, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The American president, along with First Lady Melania Trump, will be the first US president in history to be officially received at Windsor Castle. Trump will be greeted with the best pomp and ceremony that Britain has to offer, the newspaper writes. The program will include banquets, honorary escorts, and a ceremonial aviation parade – something that has previously impressed the American leader and recalls the long history of military cooperation between Britain and the United States.
The hope is that the royal charm will set the stage for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to make new attempts to persuade Trump to increase pressure on Putin, the publication notes. Although it may not be on the official program of the visit, political and royal aides expect the issue to be raised behind the scenes.
A senior defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the king is “very close” to the details of the ceasefire talks and to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself. This gives the prime minister a weapon that many other European leaders do not have: a monarch who has quietly but consistently demonstrated his support for Kyiv.
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The U.S. president, who often rejects other conventions, has a deep respect and affection for the royal family, Politico writes. On his flight back to Britain, he called Charles “such an elegant gentleman” and described his second visit as “a great honor.” At the same time, he was much less deferential to Zelenskyy, implying that he was responsible for the Russian invasion of his country.
At a time of extremely uncertain American support, the Ukrainian leader has found a defender in the king, the newspaper notes. Charles unexpectedly invited Zelenskyy to tea after the scandalous meeting in the Oval Office, and then to lunch at Windsor Castle on the eve of the June NATO summit.
Orysia Lutsevych, head of the Ukraine program at Chatham House, told the newspaper that the king’s support sends a message of “solidarity and a reminder of who is the victim and who is the aggressor” amid Putin’s “distortions and disinformation.” The former senior British diplomat noted that while the King does not speak publicly about government affairs, he is “adept at finding other ways to demonstrate his views.”
A more difficult question is whether the royal events will affect Trump’s position, Politico writes. One government adviser pointed to the royal reception of Trump by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, arguing that it helped set the stage for a successful NATO summit. Trump will be accompanied on the trip by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Encouraging Trump to take more decisive action in support of Ukraine remains a challenge, the article notes. Although the US president seems to have somewhat changed his attitude towards Putin towards greater skepticism, this has not yet translated into decisive steps to punish him. Experts remain skeptical about whether Trump will change his course even under the influence of the royal requests.
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