Blinken, Without Leaving Home, Tries to Mend Fences With Allies Abroad

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has kicked off his first month in the job with a blaze of diplomacy.

As part of his effort to re-energize American alliances frayed by the Trump years, Mr. Blinken has spoken with dozens of his counterparts around the world and joined gatherings of Asian and European leaders — all without ever leaving his seventh-floor office at the State Department.

As the world struggles to get the coronavirus pandemic under control, most diplomatic travel remains postponed. In ordinary times, Mr. Blinken would have hosted a stream of visitors and logged thousands of air miles by now; instead, he has relied on the telephone and video screens, much like Zoom-dependent workers everywhere.

“It’s a good thing we’re on the family plan here at the State Department, otherwise I’d be broke,” Mr. Blinken told NPR this month.