(VOVWORLD) - US President Donald Trump arrived in London Tuesday evening, beginning a two-day state visit to the United Kingdom. The visit is expected to open a new chapter in the US-UK alliance and promote common approaches between the US and European allies on a range of global issues.
 US President Donald Trump (XNA/VNA) |
A ceremonial welcome
On his second state visit to the UK, made at the invitation of King Charles III, US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will be given the highest ceremonial welcome of the British Royal Family at Windsor Castle, hosted by King Charles III on Wednesday. During the day, Trump will take part in several symbolic activities, including laying a wreath at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II and attending a performance by the St. George’s Chapel Choir. The highlight of the royal welcome will be a state banquet at Windsor Palace on Thursday, where both King Charles III and President Trump will deliver speeches praising the historic ties and special alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom.
During the visit, President Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hold talks on a wide range of issues in US-UK relations and between the US and European allies whose relationships are facing strong challenges from shifting US strategic priorities and different approaches to major international issues.
Observers say Trump’s visit comes at a critical moment for US-UK ties and the Western alliance as a whole. Britain, therefore, will seek to secure a strategic agreement with the Trump administration through the royal ceremony, given Trump’s longstanding admiration for the British monarchy.
Royal historian Robert Lacey said: “As we know, this is the first time that a head of state has been invited with a visible letter, and that gives us a clue to the fact there's a lot of politics going on here.”
Olivia O’Sullivan, Director of the “UK in the World” program at Chatham House, said the British government faces significant challenges from the unpredictable policies of the US administration. Trump’s visit, she said, is an opportunity for Prime Minister Starmer to better understand Washington’s stance on trade, security, and energy.
“It was a big offer for the UK to make. It's unusual to offer a second state visit to a head of state. But the UK is keen to ensure that it can get something strategic and meaningful out of this visit,” said O’Sullivan.
Cooperation in technology and energy
Investment is among the top issues Britain wants to promote during Trump’s visit. Ahead of the trip, the US and UK reached a civil nuclear agreement to mutually recognize each other’s safety assessments for small modular reactors (SMRs). On September 11, the UK announced a £400 million (543 million USD) contract with Google Cloud. The deal is part of a broader partnership for classified information sharing with the US and protecting secure communication channels, complementing the two countries’ already extensive intelligence and security cooperation. The UK Ministry of Defence said that the deal will draw millions of pounds of investment from Google Cloud, which will invest in local infrastructure and hire UK specialists to manage the new program. Following these agreements, investments in finance and technology, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), supercomputing, and quantum computing, will be other priorities that the UK is eager to advance in cooperation with the United States.
They will also discuss global geopolitical issues, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Gaza crisis, and the UK and other Western countries’ plans to recognize a Palestinian state. In recent months, Prime Minister Starmer and several other European leaders have sought to persuade Trump to adopt a tougher stance toward Russia, hoping to soon organize negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Washington has signaled possible additional sanctions on Moscow but has not made as major a shift in its stance as Europe would like. O’Sullivan said the US and its European allies, including the UK, remain divided on these issues, requiring Starmer to mention them delicately with Trump.
“It's a difficult balancing act for Starmer and his government because there are things that they want, US investment in the UK tech sector, working together on advanced tech and frontier tech. But there are concessions that this administration might hope to win from that,” said O’Sullivan.
Trade and tariff disputes are other sensitive issues, as the Trump administration has placed heavy tariffs on key economic partners, including the UK. Recently the US pressed the EU and NATO members to impose higher tariffs on China and India as part of efforts to pressure Russia. Observers warn that without caution, these differences could undermine the broader strategic goals that both London and Washington hope to achieve during Trump’s visit.