President Joe Biden, 81, made an awkward entrance at the G7 summit in Italy on Thursday, saluting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni upon arrival.
Biden was the last of the world leaders to arrive at the venue in southern Puglia, shuffling onto the stage where Meloni awaited him.
The two leaders exchanged a few words before Meloni directed Biden towards a frame of the G7 logo, which each attending leader signed.
The G7 is an informal forum with annual summits to discuss economic policy and security issues, comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Following individual greetings, Biden and Meloni were joined on the platform by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The three-day summit’s agenda includes discussions on global conflicts, the spread of artificial intelligence, African issues, and new assistance pledges for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Pope Francis is set to become the first pope to address the G7 summit on Friday, discussing the ethical implications of AI and renewing his calls for peaceful resolutions to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Before the summit, an agreement was being finalized to loan $50 million to Ukraine, using interest from Russia’s frozen central bank assets as collateral.
The US is expected to provide most of the funds through a loan backed by profits from roughly $300 billion in immobilized Russian assets, predominantly held in European Union nations.
Biden’s awkward moment at the G7 follows a recent incident where he remained virtually motionless for nearly a minute during a Juneteenth musical performance at the White House, raising further concerns about his public appearances.
