Informal exchanges among G7 leaders at summit in France

During the G7 summit held in Evian-les-Bains, France, world leaders engaged in several informal conversations captured by microphones. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced she had quit smoking over a month ago, a decision that drew praise from other leaders including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and EU officials. European Council President Antonio Costa noted during the discussion that he had quit smoking 21 years ago. Other topics of conversation included the ongoing Football World Cup, with French President Emmanuel Macron expressing support for his national team and mentioning the recent success of Paris Saint-Germain. Additionally, Prime Minister Meloni and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged their viral social media collaboration, noting that a joint Instagram post had reached 10 million likes. Reports regarding the identity of the German representative varied, with some texts mentioning Friedrich Merz while others referred to standard G7 German representation. The discussions highlighted a lighter side of the summit alongside the official agenda.