Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was caught rolling her eyes after French President Emmanuel Macron whispered to her while sat at the G7 roundtable.
The reaction came as world leaders from the Group of Seven (G7)— the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the EU — met in the luxury resort of Kananaskis, amid deepening global crises in both Ukraine and the Middle East.
Meloni was caught on camera leaning over to hear what the French President was whispering to her.
Whilst world leaders ordinarily try to keep a poker face during proceedings, Meloni could not hide her reaction and appeared to roll her eyes at whatever Macron had told her.
It follows an equally awkward encounter between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and US President Donald Trump.
Carney cut the US President off from taking more questions after he was asked about his immigration policy.
The Canadian PM interrupted the questions, telling reporters: ‘I am going to exercise my role as G7 chair since we have a few more minutes with the President and his team and then we actually have to start the meeting to address some of these big issues.’
Tensions at the summit erupted after Donald Trump sensationally claimed that expelling Russia from the group in 2014 was a ‘big mistake’ and even blamed it for Vladimir Putin‘s invasion of Ukraine.
Emmanuel Macron was caught on camera whispering to Giorgia Meloni at the G7 roundtable
The Italian PM then proceeded to roll her eyes in reaction to whatever the French President has said to her
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 roundtable
Pictured: G7 leaders and guests attending a meeting at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada
As leaders from the world’s most powerful democracies gathered in the picturesque Canadian Rockies, the former U.S. president dropped a bombshell by saying: ‘Putin speaks to me. He doesn’t speak to anybody else.’
In a show of defiance, Sir Keir Starmer stood firm on the group’s current composition, with Downing Street stating the Prime Minister was ‘happy with the make-up of it,’ despite Trump’s remarks causing visible friction among world leaders.
Asked whether the Labour leader agreed with Trump’s eyebrow-raising comments, a Number 10 spokesperson diplomatically said: ‘I think obviously those comments are a matter for the US.’
‘The Prime Minister goes ahead with the G7 and is happy with the make-up of it,’ they added.
Appearing alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump reignited controversy by suggesting that Russia’s ousting from the then-Group of Eight over its annexation of Crimea had only fuelled further aggression.
‘This was a big mistake,’ Trump said of the 2014 decision: ‘I can tell you that [Putin] basically doesn’t even speak to the people that threw him out, and I agree with him.’
He went even further, suggesting Russia wouldn’t have launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 had Putin not been booted from the group.
The former president’s comments have cast a shadow over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s upcoming meeting with G7 leaders, where he is expected to push for tougher sanctions against Moscow and fresh arms deals with the West.
US President Donald Trump (L) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attend a working session during the Group of Seven
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and France’s President Emmanuel Macron shake hands during a bilateral meeting at the G7 summit
Pictured: U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney holding a bilateral meeting during the G7 Leaders’ Summit
Pictured: Mark Carney greet Keir Starmer at the G7 arrival ceremony at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada
The Prime Minister said that the agreement will be top of the agenda when he sits down with Trump at the G7 in Canada.
Zelensky said he would press Trump directly about securing more weapons for his war-torn country.
Meanwhile, Trump also revealed he had recently spoken with Putin, even floating the idea that the Russian strongman could help mediate in the spiralling Israel-Iran conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron quickly shot down the idea, saying: ‘Moscow could not be a negotiator because it had started an illegal war against Ukraine.’
One European diplomat said Trump’s remarks showed ‘Russia was very much on U.S. minds’ but stopped short of predicting any shift in Washington’s stance.
As the summit continues, leaders hope to use face time with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and next week’s NATO meeting to steer Trump toward tougher action against the Kremlin.
‘The G7 should have the objective for us to converge again… in my view it’s a question of seeing whether President Trump is ready to put forward much tougher sanctions on Russia,’ Macron added.
With conflict between Israel and Iran also dominating talks, officials privately admitted that Trump is unlikely to endorse a joint G7 statement calling for de-escalation — despite Canada and European nations pushing for diplomatic unity.A senior European official insisted it was ‘too early to speculate’ on the outcome, though behind the scenes many worry Trump’s unpredictable approach could derail the summit’s fragile consensus.
