What Washington thinks about the next Queen Liz

Truss’ American links date back to the 1990s when, as a young industrial economist at Shell, the oil and gas company, she oversaw a ship refurbishment project in Norfolk, Va.

“I was overseeing two LNG vessels that had been mothballed due to lack of demand,” Truss told her Atlantic Council audience, noting the irony that Europe faces a long and cold winter without Russian gas, because it can’t ship enough in.

That’s another reason why Truss will need to prioritize warming relations with the Biden White House.

Her Atlantic Council speech was a start in that direction, praising Biden for helping to lead the response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and strengthening the relationship with Britain. She even sounded a bit like Biden himself.

“I want us all to work together to resolve our differences and to be focused on the threats that we face,” she said. “Our ultimate aim — working with all our allies — is to make the world safe for freedom and democracy.”

Alex Ward, Nahal Toosi and Daniel Lippman in Washington and Eleni Courea in London contributed reporting.