G7 summit in London: Anthony Blinken describes Great Britain as its closest ally

The United States and Great Britain have always been close allies. Ahead of the G7 foreign ministers meeting in London, the partners are now exchanging particularly warm words.

“The United States does not have a close ally and partner than the United Kingdom,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a joint press conference with his British counterpart Dominic Raab. “Our special relationship continues. It is effective, dynamic, and dear to the American people.”

This recognition should be well received in the British capital: after the change of power in the White House, Great Britain had feared the traditional “special relationship” between the two countries had deteriorated since the relationship between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the new government. The US president was already overloaded applies.

Biden described Johnson as a “clone” of Donald Trump

Johnson had no friendships with the US Democrats when he hinted in a newspaper article, during the election campaign before the 2016 Brexit referendum, that former President Barack Obama had a grudge against the former colonial power of Great Britain due to his Kenyan roots. Biden later referred to Johnson as a “physical and emotional clone” of his predecessor, Donald Trump. After Biden took office, Johnson emphasized the similarities between the two countries and proposed a joint trade agreement

On Monday, Secretary of State Raab emphasized that they stand “shoulder to shoulder” and share many common values ​​and interests. The USA and Great Britain worked closely together when it came to condemning human rights violations and holding states to account – as was the case recently with China.

Defense against disinformation campaigns from Russia as the focus

The foreign ministers of the G7 countries are meeting this week for the first time in two years for personal deliberations. It should be about the current conflicts in Afghanistan, Myanmar, or Ukraine, but also about the goals and future challenges.

According to the British, one of the priorities is to defend against disinformation campaigns from Russia. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced that to counter these “lies and propaganda or fake news”, the introduction of a “fast-track mechanism” must be discussed.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) said before the trip to London that it was “time” to see each other in person “as a community of values”. Because only at the time of virtual meetings, “unfortunately the world did not stand still.” Others, meanwhile, have attempted to reshape the world order “according to completely different values.”