Introduction: Johnson, Starmer, Reeves, Shapps, Badenoch and Thunberg at Davos
Good morning from Davos, where the third day of the World Economic Forum is underway.
The Brits are in town today and so are the climate activists.
Boris Johnson will soon appear at a breakfast briefing on Ukraine to discuss the most pressing issues facing Ukraine. He is expected to be joined by (among others) Yulia Sviridenko, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Blackrock CEO Larry Fink, Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, David Rubenstein of the Carlyle Group and David Solomon, Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs.
However, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is backing away from Dawood – instead, he is joined by Business Secretary Grant Shapps and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch.
Labor is also in attendance, with leader Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves appearing on panels today.
Starmer will tell world financial leaders that Britain “will be open for business” under a future Labor government.
They plan to promote Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan to decarbonise the economy, boost energy security and ensure Britain leads the way in future green industries.
Before the visit, Reeves said:
“With Labor in government, Britain will be open for business. We have the ambition and the practical ideas to make our country a leader on the global stage again, especially in those green industries of the future that are so vital to our energy security.
“We will restore economic growth in the UK, improving living standards and creating jobs, and bring back global investors to drive our economy forward – all built on the bedrock of economic stability and security.
“Labour will work in partnership with business to drive investment in the UK economy, to ensure the jobs of the future are in the UK and to ensure the UK is a world leader in the climate transition.”
Shapps, who will speak at the traditional lunch of UK business leaders today, is expected to outline a new plan to “grow” British business.
In a video clip released yesterday, the business secretary said:
“When I pack, I won’t just take a warm jacket. I will take a vision of how to take this country and scale up Britain.
This week @PwC’s #CEOSurvey found that bosses around the world ranked the UK in the top three countries for investment.
Perfect timing as I head to the World Economic Forum in #Davos today to bang the drum for British business – we’re ready to expand Britain🇬🇧 #wef23 pic.twitter.com/TXJ2LbfhHN
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) January 18, 2023
It’s minus 8C here in the morning so Shapps will need this cozy jacket too.
Greta Thunberg is also here today, appearing at a Fridays For Future activist meeting.
They have invited the executive director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, for a dialogue at the World Economic Forum.
Thunberg, Helena Gualinga of Ecuador, Vanessa Nakate of Uganda, Luisa Neubauer of Germany and Birol will discuss whether governments and businesses are responding adequately to the climate crisis.
The agenda
-
7.30am Davos / 6.30am GMT: Ukraine breakfast briefing
-
9am Davos / 8am GMT: Panel on the future of industrial policy with Grant Shapps
-
9.30am Davos / 8.30am GMT Ransomware panel: To pay or not to pay, including Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol and Christopher Wray, Director of the FBI
-
10.30am Davos / 9.30am GMT: Chat with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella
-
11.30am Davos / 10.30am GMT: Special Address by Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea
-
14:00 Davos / 13:00 GMT: Panel session on Rebuilding the World, including Keir Starmer
-
15:00 Davos / 14:00 GMT: Is the world in a debt spiral? With José Antonio Ocampo, Minister of Finance and Public Credit of Colombia; Rachel Reeves and Axel van Trotzenburg, Managing Director, Operations, World Bank
-
17:15 Davos / 16:15 GMT: Press conference to launch the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate Issues, with trade ministers from Ecuador, the European Union, Kenya and New Zealand
Key events
BETA Filters
Key events (4) Ukraine (10) Boris Johnson (7) Vladimir Putin (6) Volodymyr Zelensky (5) Davos (4)
John Kerry, the US President’s special climate envoy, joins the panel and thanks Boris Johnson for mobilizing the English language in support of Ukraine.
Carey tells the audience that he was a child of World War II and remembers seeing the damage from the war when he visited Europe in the late 1940s. Growing up in Berlin, he played in bunkers with his friends (“probably inadvisable,” he admits).
Later in life, Carey says he was in a war [Vietnam] which is based on lies, distortion and paranoia, not the war of freedom in which it was presented.
No one in Ukraine who took up arms put their lives at risk because of a mistake, Kerry insists.
Kerry says we need to learn the lessons of the Anschluss, of Munich, of appeasement and subjugation of the Iron Curtain.
Putin has not learned these lessons and is engaging in a personal initiative, against the facts, against legitimacy and the rule of law, adding:
“I believe the stakes here couldn’t be higher.”
Putin made a colossal mistake by trying to return to the world that existed in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, Kerry added.
Kerry urges World Economic Forum delegates to do more to help Ukraine
We should never again come to Davos and have a meeting if we are not ready to fight for the principles that are at stake in Ukraine, Kerry insisted.
Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada, also attended the breakfast in Ukraine.
She says we should imagine what the world would be like if Ukrainians weren’t so great and if there was a Putin puppet government in Kyiv right now. How would Poland or the Baltic states feel about this scenario, she asks.
Freeland says he is in awe of President Zelensky, adding that every single person in Ukraine is standing up and being their own leader.
@cafreeland: “Zelensky was quick to thank the international community just now, but we should thank him now. What would the world look like if Ukrainians weren’t so awesome? Every single Ukrainian coped with it.” #UkraineisYouDavos
— Pinchuk Foundation (@PinchukFund) January 19, 2023
Ukrainian soldiers are volunteers, choosing their path. They know why they’re there, Freeland explains, and that’s why Ukraine will win.
Therefore, we must help them as much as we can. Let’s help end this fast.
Freeland used an ice hockey metaphor, quoting Wayne Gretzky’s line about skating to where the puck is going to be, not where it is.
“That puck leads to the win for Ukraine,” Freeland declared.
“So let’s skate out there. Let’s do it as quickly as possible.”
Boris Johnson interjects with a pun about how Putin needs to “get the puck out of Ukraine”, causing some hilarity in the audience.
Regarding the reconstruction of Ukraine, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink predicted that those who believe in the capitalist system will “flood Ukraine with capital.”
He suggests the reconstruction bill could be $750 billion.
Fink says he believes it is possible to make a “fair and just return” on behalf of pension funds and retirees by financing the redevelopment.
He explains that he told President Zelensky that Ukraine can be a beacon to the world of the power of capitalism, showing that oligarchs are not part of the future and that capitalism is the most powerful economic engine in the world.
Zelensky apparently told him to go further; that Ukraine should become a leader in new technologies and a leader in decarbonization.
Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock: “The crowd is here. I’m amazed at the number of people attending this breakfast. It shows how much support there is out there.” #UkraineisYouDavos #RussianWarCrimes
— Pinchuk Foundation (@PinchukFund) January 19, 2023
Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock: “We can rebuild Ukraine and use it as a beacon for capitalism. Capitalism is alive and there are great opportunities for fair and large returns. Ukraine will innovate and be a leader in new technologies and carbonization.” #UkraineisYouDavos
— Pinchuk Foundation (@PinchukFund) January 19, 2023
Updated at 07.38 GMT
US special envoy John Kerry says $750 billion will be needed to rebuild Ukraine
— Szu Ping Chan (@szupingc) January 19, 2023
Updated at 07.25 GMT
Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, spoke next.
He says we must stay united behind Ukraine, which he believes will win… because it is critical that they do, and also because they are not alone.
Boris Johnson concluded by telling the audience that we have continually underestimated the willingness and ability of Ukrainians to fight and defend their homeland.
They proved the world completely wrong, Johnson says.
Ukraine “will win” and its supporters must help them win “as quickly as possible.”
Johnson concludes:
So I would say to everyone, focus on Ukraine, don’t focus on Putin.
Updated at 07.16 GMT
Boris Johnson adds that it is not worth doing criminology.
It’s hard enough to tell what’s going on in UK politics, says the former prime minister wryly.
It’s not our job to worry about Putin’s career or what’s next, Johnson says.
Instead…
“We need to focus on supporting Ukraine and giving Volodymyr Zelensky the tools he needs to get the job done.”
This earns a standing ovation from the audience.
Johnson: Putin will not use nuclear weapons
Boris Johnson speaks at breakfast this morning in Ukraine, billed as a “legendary figure” in Ukraine.
The former UK prime minister is asked what he thinks is going through Putin’s mind – is there a chance for talks?
Johnson says he is in awe of President Zelensky and the heroism of the Ukrainian people.
But, he warns, we can spend too much time obsessing over Putin and worrying about escalating…
Add Comment