Some Russians think Britain’s bungled Brexit is just an illusion

It’s hardly a surprise that Russian and American views of the world differ sharply. But there is one area of unexpected congruence in Moscow and Washington: Brexit. Travelling between both capitals, it is hard to tell the difference between the perplexity and even suspicion with which Britain’s ongoing and bungled departure from the EU is being viewed.

Of course, the two administrations have rather different interests when it comes to Brexit. In the United States, there is some excitement among big business about the prospect of the UK market opening up. In the main though the feeling is one of dismay about the crisis gripping one of the country’s closest allies. US national security adviser John Bolton may present Donald Trump as “eager for the will of the British people to be carried out”, but in Washington last week I heard sober State Department folk worry that, in the words of one, “America might find itself gaining an economic client at the cost of a geopolitical ally.”