A planeload of ventilators, mosques and respirators landed in New York yesterday, a propaganda coup for the Russian leader on more evidence that the supposed superpower is floundering, not leading covert 19 is a global threat, but no one is spearheading a global response.

It's an international problem in a world of competing nationalisms.

From this day forward, it's going to be only America First America.

First, which country would look to us for leadership Now, my fellow Americans Tonight I want to speak with you to a president who refers to the virus is generally foreign or specifically Chinese.

That started a China and is now spreading throughout the world and stopped flights to Europe without even warning you leaders.

This is a global pandemic.

The German chancellor famously confronted President Trump but a meeting of G seven economic powers in 2018.

But where is the G seven now?

Virtual G seven meetings have ended with no binding communique, partly because the U.

S.

Insisted on referring to the Wu Han virus after the Chinese city where it emerged.

Everyone of the nations that was at that meeting this morning was deeply aware of the disinformation campaign that the Chinese Communist Party is engaged in to try and deflect from what has really taken place here.

A virtual meeting of the G 20 was equally ineffectual, and the European Commission president was scathing about you.

Countries refusing to share equipment, coordinate movement restrictions or agree a common financial response when you're really needed to be there for each other.

Too many initially looked out for themselves when you're really needed all for one spirit, too many initially gave on on Lee for me.

Response.

Hi facts.

I want to bring you up to speed with something that's happening today, which is that I've developed mild symptoms off the Corona virus.

The UK, which with Brexit chose to self isolate before that was even a thing, is not look to for leadership these days.

And the United Nations, created after World War Two to combat global threats, has been sidelined by a generation of leaders turning inwards, asked myself every single day.

Is there something I could do that would save lives and make a difference?

Arguably, President Obama abrogated US leadership by choosing not to intervene in the war in Syria.

Today, China, even more than Russia is seizing the ground that the U.

S has ceded.

China has sent aid to Europe, portraying itself as a global savior after initially covering up the outbreak in Wuhan and then blaming the U.

S for spreading the disease.

Such a contrast to the Ebola epidemic in 2014 when the U.

S.

Was a clear leader, sending troops and medical supplies to Liberia, building hospitals, helping to reduce fatalities and stop the spread.

Or to 2000 and nine.

When then Prime Minister Gordon Brown, credited with leading an effective global response to the financial crisis, convened the G 20 summit in London.

It was held in, of all places, the Excel Centre, now the Nightingale Hospital, where thousands of N.

H s staff are preparing for a Corona virus soldier.

Now, in the first of two former world leaders interviews, I spoke to Jose Manuel Barroso, former presidents of the You Commission on I asked him whether the pandemic had exposed the European Union's weaknesses as member countries closed their borders to each other and struggle to cooperate.

European Union itself is not the problem.

The problem are some governments that do not plant your opinion and do what she called to be doing.

So your Penis dishes, they're such, have been reacting.

I believe in a swift, on determined manner.

European Central Bank took on presented measures not all in terms of the amounts that they are committing toe quite a bit busy onto the monetary support, but also in terms off changing also their internal rules and so advocating a policy of no limits.

This took almost four years in the last crisis.

Now it took less than three weeks.

I continue to think that in this current circumstances, most likely there will be no consensus about Khurana.

Bonds are honorables.

That could certainly be from an ideal point of view, the best solution because it will be joint and several emission off European or eurozone depths.

That could be a much stronger Stig Nall.

But let's be realistic, you can you?

It's ah unit off now, 27 countries, the eurozone, 19 countries and they have different approaches.

So at the end, like happens usually and you, it'll be a compromise.

I I see on the compromise would probably around a renewed roles are with some increase flexibility for the European stability mechanism.

But let's put things in perspective.

All you can countries be better if there was not a European unit.

If they're waas a full renationalization off policies, so important political terms, we have always to sink counter sexually.

What is alternatives?

Well, the alternative be better and should not be so your opinion as its floors, but at the end, it works.

So what we have to ask is the governments of Europe to be more supportive off a common approach.

Is that a diplomatic way of saying Germany can't be expected to pay for everybody at the end of government, escaped the Chancellor of Germany by someone I respect very much Angela Merkel.

First of all, she has to get the support off alone.

Let's say citizens.

So at the same time, I understand fully the concerns off Italy off premise.

The contraire premise Sanchez in Spain, they are facing at treasury.

I mean, it's a tragedy.

It's a humanitarian treasury.

I understand them.

Food and I also understand the concept of other countries that are not in the same difficult situation from a health point of view, but are concerned mainly about the economic and social impact off this situation.

When you look at the United States, China and the European Union right now, is there any hope for global leadership?

It's difficult.

It's difficult because I think there was already a trend before.

This crisis is a kind of, ah, decoupling, namely around issues, off trade, but also technology, namely between United States and China.

So, uh, European Union off course it's as its own problems is first of all to have a common career in position.

But we doubt commitment, strong commitment of the United States.

They are in spite of everything.

People say they are still the most important power in the world.

If you think about economic and geopolitical, our military terms on dhe, the reality is that the American leadership has not show and the same commitment with global order that has Children before on dhe, when the leader off the most important country in the world says my country first off course, this the patient is to say, fight the same.

So and that creates more difficulties for a career in coordinated cooperative global response.

Certainly I think they're waas at beginning some kind of under estimation off the seriousness off describes as we have seen.

But I think now most generally speaking, governments are really committed in a fighting.

Above all, what is a truly dramatic humanitarian emergency, Mr Barroso?

Thank you very much indeed.

Thank you.

So in the second of our interviews with former world leaders earlier, I spoke to former director of the World Health Organization and ex Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland on.

I began by asking her if she was worried that every country has taken different measures to combat the virus.

I do support those countries who have taken strong action early, and although China, you know, made a great mistake in the beginning weeks not to report early enough, it's certainly then as it targets reading and they became aware they have done very strict measures.

And you see that this kind of public house, um attitude and ah awareness is necessary to make a difference.

Other countries have done very things.

I believe those who have done the most effective public health measures are also those that are now in the best shape, For instance, a South Korea and Hong Kong, Singapore and also some of the Nordic countries.

Ah, have, really, you know, taken action in the last few weeks.

Do you think that, uh, it will be the developing countries, particularly African continent, on the Latin America who may suffer most from all this?

Yes.

And this is why, um from the Noble Preparedness Monitoring Board we have put out, you know, urgent action request for funding because countries really need support and early to try to prevent ah worse situation than it would otherwise beak.

And you know, since the economy is so effective in many countries, this is a major economic and financial prices.

And so money has to go to people you know, to to avoid poverty and lack for food in the poorest countries.

And of course, in many countries, this kind of action has already been taken to secure at the workforce that is being laid off.

Now, Do you think that we Europeans, who have been concentrating very much on the agony of Italy and Spain will soon be talking about U S A u k maybe even France?

I I think we already are talking about those.

And I certainly notice that your Prime Minister Ah, changed course you know, some time ago and not belittling the problem, as both he and Trump did for a long time.

Trump has been doing that, you know, for weeks.

But now he obviously is aware that this crisis Israel is a big catastrophe.

Also in the U.

S.

Using your own experience.

How much longer do you think all this is gonna go on?

I'm afraid that, uh, their predictions that have been made that it could last for a year or 1.5 until we have a vaccine.

Because that's an essential thing in addition to equipment for health workers and other parts of the preparedness.

But we need a vaccine.

And, of course, that that research is not ongoing.

Dr.

Gro Harlem Brundtland.

Thank you very much indeed for talking with us.

Thank you.