Antony John Blinken has been the 71st U.S. secretary of state since January 26, 2021. He was deputy national security advisor under Barack Obama from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017.
From 1994 through 2001, Blinken was a top National Security Council member and State Department official under Clinton.
He was a CSIS senior fellow from 2001 to 2002. He supported the 2003 Iraq invasion as Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democratic staff director from 2002 until 2008.
Before aiding the Obama–Biden transition, he advised Joe Biden’s 2008 presidential campaign on international policy.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated he would not see the Russian or Chinese foreign ministers at the G20 conference in New Delhi.
Before the G20 summit, Blinken visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Qin Gang and Sergey Lavrov are attending the conference.
“No plans to visit either (China or Russia’s foreign ministers) at the G20,” Blinken told reporters in Tashkent.
A Russian foreign ministry official said Lavrov wanted to meet at least seven foreign ministers before India throws a welcome dinner for 40 nations on Wednesday. Thursday is the major G20 meeting.
Before the G20 foreign ministers’ conference, Blinken visited all five Central Asian nations that used to be dominated by Moscow and have substantial trading relations with China in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The U.S. is constantly lobbying the globe to condemn Russia’s over-a-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
