The G7 summit held in Italy concluded on Friday. World leaders discussed issues ranging from the war in Gaza to China’s miliary and economic actions. PM Modi, Vatican’s Pope Francis, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, leaders from Brazil and Argentina were also invited to the event hosted by Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.
The host country traditionally invites outside guests to join some of the sessions. The King of Jordan, leaders of Brazil, Argentina, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania were also present at the event in Borgo Egnazia in the southern region of Puglia.
The summit will come to a close on Saturday. Here are a few talking points from the event: From Modi Mania to Biden’s gaffes.
1) Biden’s several gaffes:
The first day of the G7 summit was highlighted by several ‘Grandpa Joe’ slip ups. The US President was at one point seen wandering off a group photo session before being pulled in by Meloni. The 81-year-old also appeared to be saluting Zelenskyy and the Italian PM at different instances.
JUST IN: President Biden appears to start wandering off at the G7 summit and has to be handled back in.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was seen grabbing Biden to bring him back to the group.
This wasn’t the only awkward encounter between the two. Biden was caught on… pic.twitter.com/xf8NizIVgH
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 13, 2024
2) US-Ukraine agreement:
President Biden and Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy signed a 10-year security agreement Thursday that they hailed as a milestone in relations between their countries.
3) Pope Francis creates history:
The Vatican chief became the first pontiff to attend a G7 summit. He challenged leaders to keep human dignity foremost in developing and using artificial intelligence, warning that such powerful technology risks turning human relations themselves into mere algorithms.
4) Gaza, climate change, Iran, gender equality and China discussed:
G7 leaders discussed major topics, such as financial support for Ukraine, the war in Gaza, climate change, Iran, the situation in the Red Sea, gender equality and China’s industrial policy and economic security.