US President Joe Biden, alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, missed the G20 family photo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Monday, a situation attributed to “logistical issues” by US officials.
At 81, Joe Biden is working to reinforce his legacy on the world stage, even as concerns loom about the possible return of Donald Trump’s “America First” policies, which could disrupt international cooperation.
At the G20 summit, prominent leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and French President Emmanuel Macron, walked down a red-carpeted ramp at Rio’s stunning bayside museum to pose for a group photograph.
World leaders gathered on a stage at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, chatting and joking as they posed for a photograph against the stunning backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain.
{{/usCountry}}World leaders gathered on a stage at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, chatting and joking as they posed for a photograph against the stunning backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain.
{{/usCountry}}The moment passed quickly, but Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau arrived too late, coming from a bilateral meeting, only to find the group had already dispersed.
Read: PM Narendra Modi meets Giorgia Meloni during G20 Summit in Brazil, hails ‘India-Italy friendship’
Giorgia Meloni also missed the official picture. The three leaders later formed a smaller group for a separate photo.
A US official, speaking anonymously, explained, “Due to logistical issues, the photo was taken early before all leaders had arrived,” news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
The group photo, intended to mark Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s launch of an alliance against world hunger was not missed intentionally, US officials have clarified, denying suggestions that Biden sought to avoid being photographed alongside Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.
US President Joe Biden urged G20 leaders to unite in backing Ukraine’s sovereignty, stressing the importance of resisting Russia's actions since its 2022 invasion.
Biden’s appeal focused solidarity against aggression, framing the war as a threat to international stability.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s absence from the Rio summit was ‘conspicuous.’ The International Criminal Court has sought his arrest on charges of war crimes linked to the Ukraine conflict, adding a complex layer to the summit's discussions.
With AFP inputs