The G7 has offered plenty of bluster but little bite over the Afghanistan crisis – whatever Boris Johnson says

Editorial: A failure to convince Joe Biden to extend the deadline for the withdrawal of troops highlights the UK’s inability to influence its closest partner on the world stage

(Brian Adcock)

Joe Biden has insisted that the United States will stick to its 31 August deadline for pulling its troops out of Afghanistan. At a virtual meeting of the G7 on Tuesday, the US president offered little comfort to leaders, including Boris Johnson, who urged him to extend it. “The sooner we can finish the better,” Biden argued, citing the growing risk of a terror attack.

The outcome of the meeting again highlighted the UK’s impotence and its inability to influence its closest partner on the world stage. If the prime minister hoped bringing France and Germany to the table would put pressure on the president to rebuild bridges with allies alienated by America's unilateral withdrawal from Afghanistan, then he was disappointed.

It is true that Mr Biden had to take account of the Taliban’s warnings of “consequences” if the deadline is not met. But the US is once again doing what suits its interests: US forces who control Kabul’s military airport are confident they will evacuate those Americans and Afghans they wish to get out within the original deadline.