Secretary Antony J. Blinken And UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly Before Their Meeting

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good morning or almost good afternoon, everyone.  The foreign secretary and I have just spent the last almost three days with our G7 colleagues covering pretty much the entire planet, and I think we both come away from the G7 – well, I should just speak for myself, but I imagine it’s the same – I think feeling very positively about the very strong convergence among all of the G7 countries on virtually all of the major issues that are facing us.

We now also have an opportunity to talk about some of the work that we’re doing directly together, the UK and the United States, and in particular following up from the very good meeting between President Biden and Prime Minister Sunak just a few days ago, which was very welcome, as well as looking at the work that we’re carrying forward from the G7, particularly with regard to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, work we’re doing together in the Indo-Pacific, and the broad global agenda that the United Kingdom and the United States share.

So, James, as always, great to be with you.

FOREIGN SECRETARY CLEVERLY:  Oh, well, Tony, thank you.  And as you say, the last – the last couple of days have been intensive.  We’ve had pretty much back-to-back meetings throughout the time we’ve been together, but we have covered a lot of ground – a lot of ground which is not just relevant to the seven countries represented around the table, but when we were talking about, for example, nuclear nonproliferation, support to the UN Charter, making sure that our relationship with Africa is balanced and positive and in a good place.  I think we’ve covered some incredibly important topics.

Look, as I said to you downstairs in a discreet meeting but I think is something that I want to say more publicly, I’d like to put on record my personal thanks for your level of engagement with the developing situation in Sudan.  I know we’ve all been involved in that in the margins of this meeting, you particularly so.  And I think that that demonstrates, as did the meeting between the President and the prime minister recently, that the relationship between the U.S. and the UK is an incredibly important one; it’s one that we value hugely.

I’ve said publicly in the past – and I’m happy to repeat it – that the world is a healthier, happier, safer, more prosperous place when the UK and the U.S. work closely together, and I think it’s in our mutual interest to do so.  But I also think it is in the interest of the wider global community that we work together on some of these really big issues that we want to resolve, but also some of the really fantastic opportunities that we’re going to explore together.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you.

FOREIGN SECRETARY CLEVERLY:  Thank you.