As G7 leaders converged at the southern Italian coastal resort of Borgo Egnazia, several media outlets dubbed the attendees as lame ducks and dead men walking, with the exception of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni who is now poised to play a critical role in shaping the EU policy in Brussels after her party's stellar performance in Sunday’s European election.
A Politico report described this year's G7 summit arguably the "weakest gathering" of leaders the group has mustered for years.
"Most of the attendees are distracted by elections or domestic crises, disillusioned by years in office, or clinging desperately to power," the report said.
Declining popularity, setbacks
While Emmanuel Macron of France and Rishi Sunak of Britain are currently engaged in swift election campaigns they initiated in last-minute attempts to reverse their declining popularity, Germany's Olaf Scholz suffered a significant blow from far-right nationalists in the recent European Parliament election and now faces the possibility of being ousted himself.
After nine years as Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau has openly discussed stepping down from his demanding role.
Fumio Kishida of Japan is grappling with his lowest personal approval ratings as he approaches a leadership contest later this year.
For US President Joe Biden, his son Hunter Biden's conviction in gun case on Tuesday has put him under pressure ahead of the crucial debate against a resurgent Donald Trump in a presidential race where the Democrat is seriously at risk of losing.
"With the exception of Meloni, the leaders at the G7 summit are all pretty weak," Politico quoted Ivo Daalder, who served as US ambassador to NATO under former President Barack Obama, as saying.
"Trudeau is probably not going to win the next election. Biden has a tough election race. Scholz is weakened. Macron is weakened. Sunak is a 'dead man walking', and Kishida has serious issues at home as well," Daalder added.
'Parade of living dead'
The Guardian article described the leaders, who in intervals of three or so minutes trooped through the arch to be greeted by their host Meloni, as a parade of living dead.
"Hollowed and broken by the electoral battlefield, it was a parade of the living dead," the article read.
The suited statesmen bore the look of people who knew this was their last such summit, and who if they could would have skipped the opening session on Africa and migration and instead headed straight into the wellness clinic and locked the door, added the article.
The Times report said that "G7 leaders have gathered in Italy for what is being described as a lame duck summit at which quick deals will be struck by protagonists fearful of being ousted from office."
It also painted an unfavourable picture for special guests, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, who have both lost their majorities in recent elections.
"Things are almost as bad for some of the special guests," read The Times article.
President Zelensky of Ukraine, who will also be at the event, will be hoping the G7 will authorise a $50 billion loan for Kyiv but worried that the pro-Ukraine consensus of the group will ebb if the current batch of leaders is ousted by right-wingers such as Donald Trump, added the report.
African leaders invited to the event, who are being wooed back home by Russia, will be carefully calibrating how much will the West still has to take on President Putin.
Kingmaker Meloni
Meanwhile, now seen as a kingmaker at the EU, Meloni will want to huddle with the commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen — also present at the G7 — about what top jobs she can get in Europe, in return for backing the German politician for a second term.
After winning over the leaders individually with her ready Roman wit, Meloni’s toughest challenge may be whether she has the charisma to charm them all at the same time.
"There is lots of work to do but I am certain that in these two days we can have a summit able to produce concrete and tangible results," The Times quoted Meloni as saying as the leaders gathered round a table for their first session.
Teresa Coratella, deputy head of the Rome office of the European Council on Foreign Relations, a think-tank, said having enfeebled allies did no favours to Meloni.
"This G7 is her first big multilateral test and she will have hoped for stronger members — this doesn’t help her at all," Coratella was quoted as saying.
With inputs from agencies