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Under sunshine and clear blue skies against a picture-perfect backdrop of Rio’s iconic Sugarloaf Mountain, the Group of 20 leaders gathered for their “family photo.” There was just one snag: US President Joe Biden was missing.
The traditional photo opportunity descended into farce on Monday when Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Italian premier Giorgia Meloni were absent from the lineup.
That only became clear, though, once Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had posed for the snap with the other world leaders, after which they dispersed for further talks.
Was it perhaps an act of protest against the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was standing in for President Vladimir Putin? Or had some bilateral meetings run late? In the end, it seems it was down to disorganization.
A US official blamed logistical issues and said the family photo was taken early. Biden’s absence wasn’t an act of protest, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Brazilian organizers say Biden and the others were late. They may try to herd all the leaders together again for a reshoot — which would be a first in the history of the G-20.
But the symbolism was unmistakable. The lack of unity among the leaders is a reflection of how difficult it has been to get everyone on the same page at the summit.
Biden has been largely invisible at this gathering as he serves out his last two months in the White House. But he’s by no means the only lame duck. France’s Emmanuel Macron got a beating by voters and Germany’s Olaf Scholz is headed for early elections and will likely be ejected from power.
In short, the West appeared in disarray.
That allowed China’s Xi Jinping to stroll in and take center stage. Brazil’s Lula was flanked by the previous G-20 host — India’s Narendra Modi — and the next one — South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa. Argentina’s Javier Milei, who has been a thorn in Lula’s side, was lurking just behind him and next to Macron, with whom he appears to have struck a bond at this meeting.
Lavrov was safely tucked away at the back next to his Saudi counterpart.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer walked out into the sun alone. Earlier he’d irked Xi by publicly chiding China on human rights and bringing up Taiwan. The chill between the two was palpable as they studiously avoided contact, separated only by Australian leader Anthony Albanese.
The adage that a picture is worth a thousand words couldn’t be truer when it comes to the annual G-20 tradition of the family photo. Since its foundation in 1999, this snapshot in time tells the story of the rise and fall of collaboration between the world’s most powerful economies.
There have been highs — like when they came together to overcome the global financial crisis in 2008 — and there have been lows.
In these moments, leaders often drop their guard. And it’s when they are shuffling around into position — some arriving later (or not at all), some iced out, others whispering and giggling to the side — that keen observers can gain insights into the state of international diplomacy.
The body language between leaders often reveals whether they truly like each other or are standing stiffly just waiting for the click of the camera before they can flee.
The summit in New Delhi, amid the monsoon rains, presaged the difficulties that lay ahead at that summit. India abandoned the usual set-up because leaders couldn’t agree on what to do with Lavrov after Putin — who’d become a pariah following his 2022 invasion of Ukraine — avoided travel.
Since then, the tides have shifted somewhat.
Outrage and condemnation have made way for a dawning realization among many leaders here that Ukraine may have to accept the loss of some of its territory in negotiations to end the war.
One of the most telling moments in the family gathering was Macron making his way to where Lavrov stood and briefly shaking his hand.
Not so long ago, Volodymyr Zelenskiy was the star attraction at global summits and parliaments around the world. But as war fatigue has set in, the chasm between the West that still supports him and the emerging powers of the Global South has widened.
Modi didn’t want him stealing the show at the G-20 in New Delhi, that was all about projecting the rise of India, and Lula felt very much the same way.
The plan today was to invite everyone and paper over the cracks in global diplomacy. Lula literally hoped to drown out the differences by having more people in the frame.
Instead, as Xi was holding hands with fellow leaders and smiling, Meloni came to realize she and Trudeau were missing out.
According to a pool report, she gasped and said “The photo!”
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