Event Recap

New Atlanticist

May 10, 2023

Ukraine’s friends must show ‘we’ve got the grit’ in supporting its fight, says UK foreign secretary

By Katherine Walla

James Cleverly argued at an Atlantic Council Front Page event that if the West is saving its stockpiles in its “military cupboard” for a rainy day, “this is the rainy day.”

Conflict Crisis Management

The Atlantic Council hosted Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs James Cleverly for a new edition of AC Front Page on May 9, 2023.

“We are now in a period of heightened risk and volatility that is likely to last beyond the 2030s,” reads the United Kingdom’s refreshed Integrated Review, released in March 2023 as an update to the strategy document from 2021. “In that time, the transition into a multipolar, fragmented and contested world has happened more quickly and definitively than anticipated.”

As reflected in the 2023 Integrated Review, the United Kingdom, like its partners and allies, faces a profound and wide-ranging series of challenges. Russia’s ongoing and full-scale invasion of Ukraine has reshaped Europe’s security architecture, and an increasingly adversarial China has sparked a rethink of the linkages between security, defense, economic, industrial, and trade policies. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is responsible for delivering on the United Kingdom’s vision for its role in the world during this critical moment. Against this backdrop, Cleverly joined the Atlantic Council during his visit to the United States to share his perspective on these challenges and opportunities and Britain’s role in the world.

An #ACFrontPage event

Atlantic Council Front Page is our premier live ideas platform for global leaders to discuss the defining challenges of our time. #ACFrontPage is a high-level event series featuring top newsmakers across multiple digital platforms. Harnessing the convening power and expertise of the Council’s sixteen Programs and Centers, #ACFrontPage leverages the Council’s capabilities in social media, press, and digital outreach to spotlight the world’s most prominent leaders and the most compelling ideas across sectors and engage new audiences eager for nonpartisan and constructive solutions to current global challenges. This widely promoted program features the Council’s most important guests and content serving as the highlight of our programming.

Featuring

The Rt Hon James Cleverly MP
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs

In conversation with

Europe Center

The Europe Center promotes leadership, strategies and analysis to ensure a strong, ambitious and forward-looking transatlantic relationship.