US President Barack Obama arrived in London Tuesday ahead of the G20 economic summit, on his eagerly awaited first foray onto the global stage since he moved into the White House in January. Obama arrived at the heavily secured Stansted airport outside London aboard Air Force One, then rode in his helicopter, codenamed Marine One, to the US ambassadors residence in central London.
The new US president will immediately face stiff tests in his first big foray into high-stakes global diplomacy, with his first meetings with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Chinas President Hu Jintao on Wednesday. The president will also meet Wednesday with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the host of the G20 economic crisis summit of developed and developing nations, and the two leaders will hold a joint press conference.
Seldom has a US president faced such a stern first test overseas as the one awaiting Obama at Thursdays Group of 20 summit, with the once mighty US economy and the global finance system locked in the worst crisis for decades.