Need to know: The leaders of G7 come together in Cornwall to discuss the aftermath of the pandemic, climate change, and other global issues.
1. Biden Briefly Met with French President Macron
During the G7 Summit among the most powerful 7 democracies in the world, President Biden had a brief encounter with the French President Macron on Friday. This was Biden’s first time meeting him during his presidency. A White House spokesperson stated that “President Biden enjoyed a positive and productive first day of discussions at the G7, focused on ways we can collaborate to build a more inclusive and fair global economy.”
He revealed that the US and French Presidents will have an official sit-down meeting on Saturday. He continued to say, “The leaders discussed a range of regional and bilateral issues, including COVID-19 and counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel, and affirmed the importance of the U.S.-France partnership and the Transatlantic alliance.” Biden will continue meeting with international leaders during the Summit to strengthen US global leadership and alliances with other nations.
2. G7 Leaders With The Queen
The political leaders present at the G7 Summit – including President Biden, UK Prime Minister Johnson, and Queen Elizabeth II – all posed for a G7 portrait before the commencement of the event in Cornwall. The Queen was positioned in the center, sitting next to PM Johnson, and President Biden to the right of him. Other leaders in the picture include French President Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. After the photo-op took place, some leaders went ahead to speak with the Queen, but officials state that Biden stayed back to talk to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi before heading back to the venue.
3. Top Democratic Leaders Discuss Post-Covid Relief Plan
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who acted as host at the G7 Summit in South England, urged his fellow political leaders to rebuild their respective nations with care, economically and socially. PM Johnson stated it was vital to learn from past mistakes, particularly the 2008 financial crisis and work to diminish the “scar” of inequality that the pandemic has left. A solution to tackle the global inequalities left by Covid is to donate resources to those in need, specifically vaccines.
Yesterday, President Biden announced he will be buying and donating 500 million Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines to almost 100 different countries in need over the next year. Today, UK PM Johnson also announced his donation of 100 million surplus Covid doses to poorer countries within the next year, as well. He urged the G7 politicians to “make similar pledges so that, together, we can vaccinate the world by the end of next year”.