I think the full-throated opposition to Trump is real and the powers-that-be are scared of what he and the rest of the populists across Europe represent. Trump is many things and a captured king in his own castle is one of them. So, he will cut deals here and there. But, this meeting with Putin was opposed because they know Putin knows everything about what they've done.
I have vacillated on Trump in the past. I'm not sold on the idea that he can win this fight, but I do believe he is doing his best to fight it. That sometimes can look like 'controlled opposition.' The real 'controlled opposition' sits at the top of the GOP.