President Joe Biden kicked off the G7 summit in Italy with a warm greeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whom he kissed on the head and gave a strange greeting.
Biden was the last of the world leaders to arrive, after landing in the Italian region of Apulia on Wednesday evening.
The two greeted each other for a long time, shook hands and took each other’s arms.
At one point, Biden even raised his hand to give a mid-salute to his counterpart, who is hosting this year’s confab as the rotating head of the meeting.
The Italian Prime Minister had to wait for Biden to arrive after greeting other leaders. She seemed to tailor her greetings to the personalities and cultural expectations of her guests.
The Italian greeted German Olaf Schultz and Japanese Fumio Kishida in a more traditional way, while he had a long hug with Frenchman Emmanuel Macron.
Once Biden reached the bottom, he walked slowly down the short staircase to gather with other leaders for a group photo.
(It was at a similar event, the G20 in Hiroshima, where Biden almost stumbled).
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed President Joe Biden at the start of the G7 summit, held in the Apulia region
The greetings come at an event where Meloni was uniquely strengthened by the European Parliament elections, while Biden and several others struggled at home.
One of the most threatened members of the beleaguered group is British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who had his own very long greeting with Meloni, and who could lose power within weeks in a snap election he called.
Biden faces his own electoral challenges. He trails Republican Donald Trump nationally and in key polls, with a dangerously low approval rating. And while his rival was convicted in Manhattan in the Stormy Daniels case, Biden’s son Hunter was convicted Tuesday in Delaware on gun charges.
Leaders have yet to finalize details of the agenda.
Biden is close to signing a deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky aimed at committing the US to 10 years of military support – a move that could put pressure on rival Donald Trump if he takes over the White House.
At one point, the president kissed the Italian leader on the head
Meloni took a moment to take a selfie
Biden will join the business meetings, but is not expected at the dinner on Thursday evening
Meloni surprised some of her critics by supporting European aid for Ukraine even after campaigning on a right-wing platform
Meloni’s hand was strengthened by the gains of conservative parties in the European parliamentary elections
Swan song: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (L) will face early elections in a few weeks
Meloni gave stage directions not only to Biden, but also to other leaders after greeting them
The move is a key ‘outcome’ of Biden’s G7 meetings due to start in Italy’s Apulia region on Thursday. The president arrived last night and will meet Zelensky one on one before the two leaders will hold a joint press conference on Thursday evening local time.
“We want to show that the U.S. stands with the Ukrainian people, that we stand with them and that we will continue to help address their security needs, not just tomorrow, but in the future,” said the U.S. National Security Advisor White House, Jake Sullivan. reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the annual confab.
“This is a big problem,” he added Thursday. He called it a “real sign of our commitment, not just for this month, this year, but for many years into the future, to continue supporting Ukraine both in defending against Russian aggression and in deterring future aggression.”
The bilateral deal would not have the force of a treaty ratified by the US Senate, so Biden or any successor could withdraw from it.
But it would still pose a barrier if Biden’s Republican successor were to retake the White House. It is one of many efforts being considered in Congress to ‘Trump-proof’ elements of the establishment.
It comes after Biden managed to push through a $60 billion measure to help Ukraine after overcoming longstanding opposition from Republican lawmakers in Congress. Trump heads to Capitol Hill on Thursday to meet with Republicans who currently control the House of Representatives and could potentially take control of the Senate in the November elections.
Trump’s tenure in the White House has been accompanied by a furious impeachment clash sparked in part by a division within his administration over withholding military aid to Ukraine amid accusations from Trump allies of corruption in the country.
Moscow launched its latest invasion of Ukraine in 2022, dramatically escalating its 2014 invasion of the Donbas region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet Biden on Thursday
Biden’s visit includes a meeting with Pope Francis on Friday
Another deal that emerged from the G7 meetings is an agreement to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan amid territorial losses to Russia’s armed forces.
The money will come from interest on $300 million in seized Russian assets – bypassing resistance within the alliance to the use of those funds.
Details were still being worked out and government officials would not confirm earlier reporting on the contours of the deal. But the funds could reach Kiev by the end of the year.
Sullivan told reporters Thursday morning that progress was likely, but he offered no guarantees on Russian government bonds and other issues.
“I think we’re set up for success in that regard… we’ll have to see how the next two days unfold,” he said.
Sullivan did not promise immediate success. He said it would not happen today, saying leaders were “on the brink of a good outcome.”
“I think we’ll have decided the main tentpoles on this,” he said, adding some details still needed to be resolved.
The diplomatic slog through arcane financial architecture comes at a summit where Biden and other G7 leaders will meet in an elegant medieval-style village in Borgo Egnazia (although the local police protecting them complained of dirty water and torn mattresses during the ‘Goddess of the Night’ tour ship that hosted them.
All of Hunter Biden’s children are accompanying the president on the trip, which takes place as the family is still processing Hunter’s guilty verdict and Biden has yet to speak publicly about it.