Published 10:00 IST, November 19th 2024
Trudeau, Biden Miss G20 'Family Photo' With World Leaders, PM Modi Takes Center Stage | VIDEO
The highly anticipated G20 Summit commenced on Monday (November 18) in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro
New Delhi: As the highly anticipated G20 Summit commenced on Monday (November 18) in Rio de Janeiro, all the leaders gathered for a family photo—only to find that US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had been left out.
In a video shared from the global event, 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 of Modern Art to the group photo setup.
The world leaders took the stage, chatted, and joked as they gathered for the picture, which was quickly dispersed. Meanwhile, Biden and Trudeau arrived from a different direction after holding bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G20 Summit but were too late, as the leaders had already dispersed.
US Blames 'Logistical Issues'
The G20 Summit is an important global meeting for Joe Biden, as the outgoing president prepares to conclude his term. After the 81-year-old missed the family photo, a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "Due to logistical issues, they took the photo early before all the leaders had arrived. As a result, several leaders weren't actually there."
Although the situation did not seem to be a deliberate move, it reflected the increasingly sidelined status of Biden as Donald Trump 's comeback looms.
On the first day of the Summit, Biden urged all leaders to back Ukraine's sovereignty, after having earlier authorized the use of US-supplied long-range missiles by Kyiv against Russia. He also called on G20 leaders to pressure Hamas for a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Trudeau Isolated at G20 Summit
As videos and pictures from the G20 Summit in Brazil circulated, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was seen somewhat isolated, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took centre stage at the global event.
Additionally, President Biden and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were also missing from the photo.
This marks the first meeting between Trudeau and Modi since deteriorating relations between the two nations following Ottawa's allegations against New Delhi in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Trudeau is currently under significant pressure due to rising violence in Canada linked to Khalistani supporters.
Earlier, several MPs from Trudeau's Liberal Party urged him to resign. However, the Canadian Prime Minister rejected the demand, announcing that he would lead the Liberal Party into the next election.
Updated 10:03 IST, November 19th 2024