At Windsor, Charles Could Nudge Trump Toward Tougher Line on Putin
Allies of Ukraine are turning to an unusual diplomatic lever as they work to keep U.S. President Donald Trump aligned with Kyiv: Britain’s King Charles III.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Politico.
Trump will become the first American president to be formally received at Windsor Castle during his ongoing second state visit to the United Kingdom, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump.
London has prepared a full ceremonial program – including a banquet, an honor guard and an aerial military display – designed not only to showcase tradition but also to highlight the depth of U.S.-UK defense ties.
British officials hope that the monarch’s personal engagement could strengthen Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s efforts to press Trump to maintain pressure on Vladimir Putin. While Ukraine is not on the official agenda, sources expect the war will feature in private discussions behind palace doors.
Senior military officials note that Charles has been closely informed about ceasefire talks and has developed a personal rapport with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This, they say, gives Britain a rare advantage: a monarch who discreetly but consistently champions Kyiv.
Trump has often shown little warmth toward Zelenskyy, but he speaks of Charles with marked respect. Ahead of his London trip, the U.S. president called the monarch an “elegant gentleman” and described the visit as a “great honor.”
In recent months, Charles has provided gestures of solidarity to Ukraine. He invited Zelenskyy for tea at Sandringham and later for lunch at Windsor Castle before the NATO summit in June.
Analysts say these moments carried symbolic weight, signaling Britain’s alignment with Ukraine and underscoring who is the victim and who is the aggressor.
During the visit, Trump will stay overnight at Windsor, where he is set to attend a carriage procession, a state banquet and private meetings. Observers believe the palace setting may provide the King an opportunity to urge Trump to support Kyiv more firmly.
In his Independence Day message to Ukraine, Charles called for a “just and lasting peace,” and experts suggest he may once again raise the subject during the banquet speech.
Whether the royal touch will alter Trump’s stance remains uncertain. His advisers recall that previous high-level receptions in Europe helped persuade him of NATO’s value. Yet his current position remains ambivalent: Trump has tied additional U.S. action against Moscow to NATO allies halting purchases of Russian oil and imposing tariffs on China.
Charles’ biographer Robert Hardman has argued that the monarchy wields greater soft power globally than Downing Street. Still, most analysts believe that while Trump may listen respectfully to the King, a dramatic shift in U.S. policy toward Russia is unlikely.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, arrived in Kyiv at the invitation of the Ukrainian government, accompanied by representatives of the Invictus Games Foundation.