Blinken blessed and supported the trip, a State Department official told CNN. Still, Kerry’s mandate to launch diplomacy before Blinken made his first trip next week led to concerns that he might outshine the current secretary of state right away, according to department four officials.
Kerry posted photos showing him talking to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, speaking at a European Union climate meeting, walking with EU President Ursula von der Leyen, conferring with foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and hitting elbows with European climate officer Frans Timmermans advancing to a final stop in Paris, where he met with President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday.
The montage highlighted the unusual nature of the trip and the unusual break with the protocol. Although Blinken spoke to many of these leaders over the phone, Kerry met with some of the secretary of state’s colleagues face to face before Blinken had a chance – and even with leaders with whom Blinken may not have formal meetings.
He also highlights what may be the most unusual partnership under the Biden government: a former secretary of state working alongside a current secretary. The situation has the potential to increase diplomatic productivity, say State Department sources, but it can also cause confusion and embarrassment.
Differences and overlaps
In London, Kerry also met with British government officials who organize COP26, the next annual UN meeting focused on climate issues. In Paris, he met French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and is expected to meet Ecology Minister Barbara Pompili, Foreign Minister Yves LeDrian and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, officials told CNN.
While Kerry and Blinken are very close, some employees fear that their personality differences and portfolio overlaps could also create a dynamic that blurs the boundaries between the two. Kerry has enjoyed the spotlight since his 20s and is known for his relentless pace on the global stage, while Blinken is seen as more reserved and methodical and has worked to support other leaders for most of his life.
State Department officials said there was some nervousness about Kerry’s debut trip as sent to the weather, precisely because of his love for hitting the road and engaging in face-to-face diplomacy and his eagerness to do so. These officials cited the concern in the ranks about how to manage Kerry’s momentum to get there, meet people and make appearances, and the concern that he might overshadow or be seen as Blinken. And while the secretary supported Kerry’s trip, some officials close to him were irritated by this, said a second State Department official.
Asked about the signal sent to European allies for Kerry’s visit to the secretary, a State Department spokesman said Kerry, “with the support of President Biden, Secretary Blinken and their hosts in London, Brussels and Paris, believes it is vital that we have made substantial progress this year to address the climate crisis. He traveled to Europe at this time because he and our partners were confident that a handful of face-to-face meetings could significantly promote this progress, including before the Summit. President’s Climate Leaders next month. “
The spokesman made it clear that Kerry would limit himself to the climate issue. “Special presidential envoy Kerry is directly focused on climate change and he makes that clear in every conversation he has,” they said.
The first State Department official told CNN that Kerry is capable of doing things that Blinken cannot because he can travel without a large footprint from employees – an advantage in the ongoing Covid pandemic. Another official familiar with Kerry’s travel plans said he was traveling commercially and with only one advisor.
But the trip to Europe highlighted the fact that there is sensitivity around Kerry’s role, and some difficulties still need to be resolved.
The government official familiar with planning Kerry’s trip said it took weeks and required normal approval from the White House and the State Department. But some state officials felt that the trip came along at the “last minute” and others were unaware that Kerry’s trip was officially approved until von der Leyen released a statement on Friday about a call she had made with Biden and mentioned that Kerry was coming. department official said.
The White House’s reading of Biden’s connection to von der Leyen made no mention of Kerry.
After weeks of videoconferencing, Kerry felt he needed to see his colleagues in person, mainly because of the next April 22 climate summit, organized by the Biden administration and then the “race to Glasgow” for the UN Climate Change Conference in November, the administration official said.
Travel caused some stress
Another official noted that, given Kerry’s tendency to travel, it is difficult to say no to a former secretary of state. A third State Department official said officials thought “as soon as Blinken starts to travel more, everything will be fine,” but, like others, acknowledged that this first trip caused some stress.
This is partly due to the fact that in diplomacy there are always important protocol and classification considerations as meetings are organized, especially at the beginning of a new government.
One official said that Kerry’s position, experience and known love for questioning policies may mean that he is called upon to answer questions on issues that are no longer his responsibility but that of Blinken.
“Who knows what he’ll say when he’s out there if someone asks him about non-climate issues: Iran, or the Republican Party, or the insurrection or whatever,” speculated this official.
The State Department spokesman, perhaps anticipating these concerns, made it clear that Kerry would stick to the climate issue. “Special presidential envoy Kerry is directly focused on climate change and he makes that clear in every conversation he has,” they said.
For State Department officials, Kerry’s enthusiasm for doing things fits the challenge of managing European allies’ eagerness to engage in personal diplomacy with Biden government officials after four tense years with Trump. “Kerry has all these contacts who discover that he is coming and want to meet with him,” said the second referee.
Under Trump, diplomacy became less disciplined, as White House officials and associates of the former president carried out outreach activities while avoiding an often marginalized State Department. Some foreign officials, now familiar with this ad hoc approach, may see Kerry as another way to get to Biden and transmit messages or requests through him, rather than the most appropriate route to speak through Blinken.
In Paris, French authorities lined up to see Kerry. “All I can imagine is that the French assume that he is coming with Blinken’s blessing, so they will meet with him,” said a fourth State Department official. “I imagine that the French are excited to have an interlocutor on the ground,” said this official. “Although they may prefer it to be (the secretary), for reasons of protocol, they will continue to assume that everyone is playing well.”
‘Thrilled’
A specific concern of the protocol is that Kerry knows French Macron and Briton Johnson well, but would not normally have a formal meeting with them, officials said.
Even Blinken would normally not have a formal meeting with the French president or the British prime minister because the protocol is for the secretary of state to meet with his counterpart, the foreign minister. What traditionally happens on these visits is that officials from the State Department and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organize a seemingly improvised visit by the prime minister.
This is precisely what happened in the United Kingdom, where Kerry became the first Biden Office employee to visit London to mark the “special relationship”. Kerry tweeted that during his meeting with COP26 President Alok Sharma, he received a “surprise visit” from Johnson and signaled future diplomacy and travel ahead. “Just eight short months to Glasgow,” said Kerry, “thrilled to have these two leaders as strong partners in the work ahead of us.”
It was unclear how France handled Kerry’s meeting with Macron, but the climate envoy emerged from the conversation and told reporters that the United States “has become partners again”.
On the 7th floor, where the secretary and his senior staff have offices, Kerry is seen as a potentially powerful force multiplier for Blinken, who can help make the US secretary and diplomacy more effective.
“It certainly helps things that they are close friends with,” a source told CNN.
Blinken, Kerry and their teams talk regularly because climate issues are entangled in the Biden government’s approach to foreign policy, said this source, and dealing with climate change is a priority for the central government.
“Secretary Blinken recognizes the importance of the United States being engaged in this and that is why he, from the beginning, was a champion of this position and of Secretary Kerry in this role,” said the official. “He is confident that Secretary Kerry can make progress.”
CNN’s Zahid Mahmood in Coventry and Pierre Bairin in Paris contributed to this report