Awkward! Bonhomie Between Italian PM Meloni, Rishi Sunak at G7 Summit Goes Viral | WATCH

The bonhomie between UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni at the G7 Summit is going viral. The two leaders hugged and kissed each other on the cheeks, contributing to a briefly awkward moment following which they shared a few laughs and then posed for a photograph together for the shutterbugs.

Meloni welcomed Sunak as he arrived for the 50th G7 Summit, the three-day event that is also being attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (June 14). The interaction between the two has left the internet in a tizzy, with many posting hilarious memes and comments underneath the viral video and pictures.

In the video, Sunak appears to be simply walking up to Meloni as she greets him with a warm hug and kiss. But, internet users soon pointed out that the moment was awkward for the two leaders as Meloni seemed to pull back while the two break out into giggles.

A user on X wrote: “Meloni reject a French kiss by Sunak? LMAO… Sunak needs to take the “no no” training course.” Another X user said: “Don’t lean in, Rishi!”

Leaders of the G7 countries began their summit on global affairs in the southern Italian region of Apulia. The Russia-Ukraine conflict is set to dominate the agenda as leaders of the G7 – the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France and Japan – are hosted by Meloni at the luxury resort of Borgo Egnazia on the Adriatic coast.

While India has reiterated its stance on “dialogue and diplomacy” as the best approach, Sunak is leading calls for “decisive” efforts to support Ukraine “whatever it takes”. “We must be decisive and creative in our efforts to support Ukraine and end (Russian President) Putin’s illegal war at this critical moment,” Sunak said in a statement ahead of the summit talks.

“The UK remains at the forefront of the international response as we have been from the outset. We must move from ‘as long as it takes’ to ‘whatever it takes’ if we are to end this illegal war,” he said.

“From Ukraine to the Middle East, we will be discussing significant global threats at the summit. Such threats are why it is so vital to strengthen the UK’s national defence, through our commitment to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030,” he added.

Meanwhile, back in India, in his pre-visit media briefing in New Delhi on Wednesday (June 12), foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra recalled Modi’s statement in September 2022 that “today’s era is not of war”. “We have always maintained that dialogue and diplomacy is the best option,” he said, pointing to the consequences of the war such as an impact on food, fuel and fertiliser availability, challenges to global supply chains and disruptions in the global economy.

“We have always been in the forefront to talk about not just the conflict, the need for dialogue and diplomacy but also the way the conflict is impacting on the priorities and interests of the developing countries,” he said.

“We have always been at the forefront to offer assistance wherever we can to alleviate challenges faced by the Global South because of the conflict, humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and also to the Global South affected by conflict,” he added.

The foreign secretary said India will continue to share its perspective with world leaders on the sidelines of the summit, where Modi will participate in the outreach session along with the other countries. The session will be focused on issues relating to artificial intelligence (AI), energy, Africa and the Mediterranean.

Besides India, Italy – which holds the presidency – has invited leaders from 11 developing countries in Africa, South America and the Indo-Pacific region to attend the summit in line with the summit tradition.

Modi is also expected to hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines, including with US President Joe Biden.