Donald Trump is back in Europe this week for his second state visit to the United Kingdom. This time, the British welcomed him in Windsor with all the required pomp and pageantry, but with considerable reluctance. There was no procession at Buckingham Palace – closed for renovations – nor a speech to Parliament at Westminster – on recess. Except for his first night, which he spent at the ambassador’s residence in London, the president of the United States was kept at a respectful distance from the capital, whose Labour mayor, Sadiq Khan, had called on residents to protest against “those who seek to divide us.”

This deep discomfort in what was once a “special” relationship contrasted sharply with the warm reception given to French President Emmanuel Macron during his July state visit to London, highlighting Europe’s uneasy balancing act amid the geopolitical turmoil of the first decades of the 21^st century.

Since Trump’s return to the White House and amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, Europeans have found themselves caught between American pressure and the Russian threat. They continue to waver between a push for greater autonomy and the fear of being left to defend themselves before their defenses are entirely put in place. Summer offered many lessons, from which they have yet to draw the conclusion that, unlike them, the US president does not consider Vladimir Putin an adversary.

You have 73.67% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.