When Ronald Reagan visited the UK in 1982 and became the first American president to spend the night at Windsor Castle, he was met with mass protests. People then believed that he was putting too much pressure on the Kremlin.
The situation with Donald Trump is the opposite. He is also expecting protests in London, but the accusations are different: he is being reproached for his constant concessions to Moscow and softness regarding the war in Ukraine.
The other day, Trump again postponed the introduction of sanctions against Russia. This decision caused bewilderment, because Russian drones and missiles continue to hit Ukrainian cities, and Putin demonstratively ignores promises of peace. In Alaska, after a meeting with Putin, Trump assured that the war was close to ending and even saw the prospect of a Nobel Prize for himself. Reality has shown the opposite.
The American president also downplayed the significance of Russian drone attacks on NATO territory. He suggested that the invasions might have been a “mistake.” This reaction is very different from Reagan’s line, who during the Cold War built the entire US policy on a tough confrontation with Moscow.
Instead of direct action, Trump put forward a condition to the allies: sanctions against Russia will be imposed only if NATO countries stop buying its oil. At first glance, the logic is clear, but in reality, this is a way to shirk responsibility, since it is almost impossible to fulfill such demands.
The danger is that Trump’s softness could push Russia to new steps. There have already been cases when Russian drones flew into Poland and Romania. Warsaw even shot them down with its own forces, calling such episodes a test of NATO readiness.
American diplomats condemned the incidents, but it is the US president who remains the key guarantor of European security. If at a critical moment the allies doubt his resolve, this could lead either to further escalation or to the failure of the deterrence system.
However, some European leaders admit that Trump’s demand not to buy Russian oil makes sense. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic called this “a very correct remark.” But the problem is that Europe’s dependence on Russian energy resources, although reduced, is still significant — Hungary, Slovakia, and Turkey continue to buy.
Against this backdrop, Trump’s visit to the UK is reminiscent of Reagan’s visit 43 years ago: there were also protests then. Only while Reagan was accused of being too tough, Trump is being accused of the opposite — being too soft on the Kremlin.
The difference is also evident in the symbolism. Trump is unlikely to ride a horse and ride through Windsor Park alongside the monarch, as Reagan did in 1982. And he is even less likely to make a loud statement about not giving in to dictators, a thesis that Reagan believed was the key to peace.
Let us recall that for the first time since the beginning of his presidential term (and perhaps more than one), Donald Trump called Russia an aggressor in the war against Ukraine. This statement became historic also because it was perceived as a clear transition to a tougher policy towards the Kremlin.
