Our live coverage has ended. Read more about the G7 summit here.
The leaders of the world’s advanced economies gathered Friday on the Cornish coast for the first time since the global coronavirus pandemic began, welcoming President Biden as a new member who arrived here intent on restoring traditional American alliances.
With a pandemic raging in much of the world, a global economy still in shock and threats rising from Russia and China, the Group of 7 summit that formally began on Friday was shaping up to potentially be one of the most consequential in recent memory. The gathered nations will pledge to donate 1 billion Covid vaccine doses, with the US providing about half of those shots.
Biden has ramped up those stakes, framing the moment as one just as momentous as the years during and after World War II, when the US, the United Kingdom and their allies worked together to help the world recover.
His day began with the landmark “family photo,” a symbolic moment for a President who has long sought a place in the club of world leaders. The group smiled for the picture with scenic Carbis Bay in the background.
Biden was seen in friendly conversation with President Emmanuel Macron of France and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada as he walked to the platform. As the leaders were returning inside after the photo was taken, Biden walked arm-in-arm with Macron, whom he had not yet met as president.
Already, Biden has used his first trip abroad as President to announce a purchase of new vaccines for the developing world, likening it to American wartime efforts building tanks and airplanes. And he sat down for his first face-to-face meeting with Britain’s Prime Minister in a photo op designed to replicate a historic World War II alliance.
He’s sought to convey a message of unity after four years of fractured alliances under then-President Trump.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday that she is “very happy” to have Biden at the summit, saying that the G7 Summit will send a “strong” message in support of multilateralism.
“We will find strong words here in support of multilateralism and also for values based multilateralism which will lead to a dispute with Russia and in some aspects also with China,” she added.
Read more about day 1 here.
President Biden had a pull-aside meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday during the G7 summit, their first substantial in-person interaction since Biden took office.
The two will also hold a more formal bilateral meeting on Saturday, a White House spokesperson said.
“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,” the spokesperson added.
President Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson exchanged gifts as part of their gathering in Cornwall for the G7 summit.
Biden gave Johnson a custom-made touring bike and helmet from Bilenky Cycle Works, a Philadelphia-based family business, as a “gesture of friendship and in recognition of their shared interest in cycling,” the White House said.
Johnson gave Biden a framed photograph of a mural of abolitionist Frederick Douglass. First lady Jill Biden received a first edition novel by 20th century British author Daphne du Maurier.
President Biden posed with Queen Elizabeth II and other G7 leaders ahead of a reception in Cornwall.
Biden was seated two seats away from the Queen, who was positioned center-stage during a photo-op at the Eden Project environmental site.
After the Queen stood up to conclude the photo, other leaders gathered around her, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Biden stayed back, speaking with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi as the group walked back into the venue.
It did not appear from the on-camera portion that Biden spoke one-on-one with the Queen during this engagement.
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden have arrived at the Eden Project, a Cornish botanical garden, where they will be joining G7 leaders and Queen Elizabeth II, as well as other members of the Royal Family, for a reception and dinner.
The first lady wore a trench coat and the President wore a suit and tie.
The Queen arrived earlier this hour with Prince Charles, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
During a speech at the G7 Summit in Cornwall on Friday, the Prince of Wales is set to call on world leaders to work together and mobilize to tackle the climate crisis, as they have mobilized to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are doing it for the pandemic. We must also do it for the planet,” he will add.
The address will come just a day after the Prince of Wales hosted members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) at St James’s Palace to discuss how the private sector can work with governments to tackle the global climate crisis.
“The Prince of Wales has worked for over 50 years to address environmental issues and tackle climate change. His Royal Highness believes that economic and social development will best succeed when it works in harmony, rather than in conflict, with nature,” Clarence House said Thursday in a statement.
During a speech on Thursday, the Prince of Wales described “potentially game-changing” partnerships between government, business and private sector finance as being “absolutely vital” to combatting climate change and biodiversity loss.
“Unless we can actually unlock private sector resource, innovation and finance…we just don’t stand a chance of solving the existential crises we have engineered over the years,” he added.
Queen Elizabeth II and other senior members of the royal family are set to meet G7 leaders and their partners at a reception in Cornwall, England.
The 95-year-old Queen, the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend the reception at the Eden Project, a famous visitor attraction located in a reclaimed china clay pit.
The dinner comes after the initial day of meetings at the G7 summit. The leaders of the world’s advanced economies gathered Friday on the Cornish coast for the first time since the global coronavirus pandemic began.
The global economy is up first on the agenda, with the global tax rate and aid for countries in need on the docket. These efforts, the White House said, will “forge a more fair and inclusive global economy” as the world leaders gather in Cornwall.
President Biden and the G7 leaders, the White House said, will “discuss ways to forge a more fair, sustainable, and inclusive global economy that meets the unique challenges of our time. President Biden and G7 partners are committed to a global recovery that benefits the middle class and working families at home and around the world.”
What happens tomorrow: The world leaders will have back-to-back plenary sessions where they are expected to continue to discuss multiple topics including the economy and foreign policy.
Read more about today’s events here.
Queen Elizabeth’s history with US Presidents:
Leaders of the world’s major economies have arrived in Carbis Bay, England, for the start of an in-person G7 summit.
It’s the first time US President Biden is meeting his counterparts since being sworn in earlier this year. The global tax rate and coronavirus aid and recovery, as well as climate change and cybersecurity are set to be big topics of discussion.
CNN’s chief national affairs correspondent Jeff Zeleny answered viewers’ questions live from England. Watch:
At least 12 UK police officers supporting policing efforts at the G7 Summit in Cornwall, England, are now self-isolating after one police officer tested positive for coronavirus on Friday, Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed Friday in a statement.
According to Devon and Cornwall Police, the officer was being accommodated on the MS Silja Europa ferry, which is housing some 1,000 police officers and members of staff over the course of the G7 Summit.
“The officer, plus those who have come into close contact, are currently self-isolating at another designated location,” the statement from Devon and Cornwall Police said.
“All who have come into close contact or are in the bubble of those who tested positive are also currently self-isolating which equates to 12 officers in total,” the statement added.
Devon and Cornwall Police have affirmed that they continue to follow the advice of Public Health England, adding that all those who receive a positive lateral flow test for coronavirus are then required to undertake a PCR test.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on G7 leaders to make “concrete commitments” to tackle global challenges, adding that this year’s summit in Cornwall, England, “must be one of action.”
“We have a responsibility to set clear goals and make concrete commitments to meet the challenges of our time,” Macron said in a tweet on Friday following a roundtable discussion with G7 leaders.
“I am glad to see you again, dear partners and friends. Let’s get to work, together,” he added.
Earlier on Friday, Macron shared a photo with other European leaders at the opening of the summit, tweeting: “As ever, the same union, the same determination to act, the same enthusiasm.”
The French Embassy in the UK described the summit on Friday as a “historic opportunity” for leaders to address issues facing the world, including the global recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and vaccine distribution; fighting global inequality; and tackling the climate crisis.
The French president also tweeted a video with US President Joe Biden. The two leaders met for the first time at the G7 summit:
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN’s Matthew Chance in an exclusive interview on Friday that Russia is not expecting a joint press conference at the end of Putin-Biden summit in Geneva set to take place next Wednesday.
However, the Kremlin said negotiations are continuing on the final format of the summit and no final decision has been reached.
Peskov told CNN Putin is ready to participate in a joint press conference or hold one of his own in Geneva.
Peskov added Putin is not going to Geneva just to appear on the same platform as Biden but because “the poor state of relations” between the US and Russia demands a summit.
Earlier today, CNN reported that Biden and Putin are not currently expected to hold a joint press conference following their high-stakes summit in Geneva, according two US officials familiar with the matter said.
The final plans are still being formulated, and could change. But officials putting together the day’s events said that as of Friday no joint press conference was expected.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Kevin Liptak contributed reporting to this post.
The leaders of the G7 will work together as part of a “united vision” to support the recovery of the global economy, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday, describing the summit as a “huge opportunity” for leaders to learn from mistakes made during the global coronavirus pandemic.
“We need to make sure that we don’t repeat some of the errors that we made over the course of the last 18 months or so, and we need to make sure that we now allow our economies to recover, and I think that they have the potential to bounce back very strongly,” Johnson said.
Speaking ahead of a roundtable discussion with G7 leaders on the first day of a three-day summit in Cornwall, England, the British prime minister stressed the need for equal recovery across society.
“I think what’s gone wrong with this pandemic, or what risks being a lasting scar, is that I think the inequalities may be entrenched. We need to make sure that, as we recover, we level up across our societies and we build back better,” Johnson said.
“I think that is what the people of our countries now want us to focus on. They want us to be sure that we’re beating the pandemic together and discussing how we’ll never have a repeat of what we’ve seen, but also that we’re building back better together, building back greener, building back fairer and building back more equal and in a more gender-neutral and more feminine way — how about that,” he added.
European Union leaders declared China a “systemic rival, a partner on global issues and a competitor” at a meeting in Cornwall, England, ahead of the Group of Seven summit, the French presidency said on Friday.
The G7 member nations intend to pursue this issue with President Biden during the summit in Cornwall, England, the statement added.
The heads of state also addressed global access to Covid-19 vaccines. To achieve this, France intends to strengthen the World Health Organization’s Act-A initiative, implement in-kind donations and mobilize pharmaceutical laboratories, the statement said.
These efforts should achieve a 60% vaccination of the population of the Global South by March 2022, in particular in Africa, according to the French presidency.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she is “very happy” to meet with US President Biden, adding that the G7 Summit will send a “strong” message in support of multilateralism.
“I am of course happy that the American President is present here. Being able to meet Joe Biden is obviously important because he stands for the commitment to multilateralism which we were missing in recent years,” Merkel said.
Addressing reporters shortly after her arrival at the summit in Cornwall, England, the German Chancellor said she hopes G7 leaders will be able to achieve positive results on issues including the re-starting of the global economy, climate protection and global access to coronavirus vaccines.
“We need everyone across the world, we want to work together, especially on the issue of climate protection and biodiversity where we will never find solutions without China,” Merkel said.
“I hope we will achieve very good results here to show that we are not only thinking of ourselves but also of those who do not yet have a possibility to get vaccinated, especially the countries in Africa but also elsewhere,” she added.
Earlier today, the White House said Biden will welcome German chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House next month. The White House said Merkel will visit on July 15. It will be her first visit to Washington during Biden’s presidency, and likely her final US visit in a long era as chancellor.
Merkel is not seeking a fifth term and will depart office. Elections to replace her are in September.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Kaitlan Collins contributed reporting to this post.
Amanda Sloat, the National Security Council’s senior director for Europe, said President Biden’s upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is “certainly not a reset.”
“And the President really believes he’s going to have the wind at his back as he moves into this meeting with President Putin” on June 16 following the G7 and NATO summits, she said.
Sloat also said that Biden’s “overarching message” is that “democracies can work and that democracies can come together to address these challenges.”
There will be conversations during the three-day G7 summit about ransomware and emerging threats, as well as infrastructure and the Covid-19 pandemic, she said.
As Biden and the first lady were returning indoors after the G7 “family photo,” reporters asked the President what his message was for Putin.
“I’ll tell you after I deliver it,” he said before walking indoors.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak contributed reporting to this post.
The G7 leaders posed for the landmark “family photo” in Carbis Bay, England ahead of the first plenary session of the three-day summit.
It’s a major moment for President Biden, who has been near the center of the American foreign policy establishment for decades but never as a member of the world leaders’ club.
On Friday, he took his place alongside the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and the European Union to pose for a photo marking the start of the G7 summit. Biden posed to the right of Johnson during the photo.
Biden was seen in friendly conversation with President Emmanuel Macron of France and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada as he walked to the platform. As the leaders were returning inside after the photo was taken, Biden walked arm-in-arm with Macron, whom he had not yet met as president.
More on today’s agenda: The leaders of the world’s advanced economies are gathering today on the Cornish coast for the first time since the global coronavirus pandemic began, welcoming Biden as a new member who arrived here intent on restoring traditional American alliances.
The global economy is up first in the summit, with the global tax rate and aid for countries in need on the docket. These efforts, the White House said, will “forge a more fair and inclusive global economy” as the world leaders gather in Cornwall.
Biden and the G7 leaders, the White House said, will “discuss ways to forge a more fair, sustainable, and inclusive global economy that meets the unique challenges of our time. President Biden and G7 partners are committed to a global recovery that benefits the middle class and working families at home and around the world.”
The group is expected to announce an endorsement for the global minimum tax of at least 15%, a Biden-led overhaul of the global tax system, after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and her finance minister counterparts announced an agreement on the matter earlier this month in London.
Read more about today’s meetings here.
Watch the historic moment here:
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden were greeted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson for the start of the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, England.
The group shared an elbow bump upon greeting. The G7 leaders are expected to take the landmark “family photo” soon.
Biden was the second-to-last leader to greet host Johnson. The two men and their wives posed for a photo with Carbis Bay as the backdrop before the Bidens kept walking into the venue.
Earlier today, the US first lady met Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, touring a school in Cornwall, England, near the G7 summit.
Biden and the Duchess focused their meeting on children and education during their first-ever meeting, which took place at Conor Downs Academy, inside a classroom of 4- and 5-year-old students.
CNN’s Kate Bennett contributed reporting to this post.
President Biden and Russian President Putin are not currently expected to hold a joint news conference following their high-stakes summit in Geneva next week, two US officials familiar with the matter say.
The final plans are still being formulated, and could change. But officials putting together the day’s events said that as of Friday, no joint press conference was expected.
This is a change from three years ago, when then-President Trump met privately for two hours with Putin in Helsinki. Both leaders spoke to reporters after, which is when Trump sided with the Kremlin over US intelligence agencies.
US officials said they expect to be negotiating details of the summit’s structure and format with their Russian counterparts until the hours before it begins.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier this week that details like a joint press conference were still being sorted.
Sullivan said as Biden was flying to England to begin his foreign trip that the President himself did plan to speak afterward.
“He does want to have an opportunity after that meeting to read it out and speak about his impressions and what he sees as the way forward,” he said.
In the weeks following Biden’s invitation to Putin for a summit meeting in Europe, officials from the two sides have negotiated details of the encounter, including its agenda and location.
Some more background: Putin has a history of joint news conferences with his American counterparts, including a much-maligned appearance alongside then-President Donald Trump in Helsinki. Trump drew criticism for appearing to side with Putin instead of American intelligence agencies after a question on election meddling.
Officials who have been involved in arranging past US meetings with Putin say the Russian side often pushes for a joint press conference, hoping to elevate Putin’s stature by having him appear alongside the American leader.
It’s one of several fraught decisions that go into planning meetings with Putin.
During a visit to a local elementary school in Cornwall on the first day of the G7 Summit, the Duchess of Cambridge and First lady Jill Biden, expressed their hopes for the United Kingdom and the United States to work together to support the improvement of early childhood education.
“I am committed to this for the long term. I hope our two countries can keep sharing data, knowledge and best practice for many years to come,” she added.
Speaking alongside the Duchess of Cambridge, the US first lady said she is “sure” the two countries will continue to work together, expressing how important she feels early childhood education is for all.
While touring a classroom and meeting with pupils at the Connor Downs Academy, Biden also expressed how “impressed” she was by the “inspiring” pupils she met and the work of the school to support early years education.
Asked by reporters how important she feels early childhood education will be for children during and after the global coronavirus pandemic, the first lady touched on her own experience as an educator, describing early years education as “the foundation of everything.”
“I can tell you that as a teacher at the upper levels, if they don’t have a good foundation, they fall so far behind, so this is amazing to see what these children are doing, and how far advanced they are at four and five years old,” Biden said.
President Biden’s first international trip since taking office includes a G7 summit, where he will look to reestablish US leadership on key global topics. The first day of the three-day summit is today in Carbis Bay, England.
Here’s what you need to know about the summit:
What is the G7?
The G7 is shorthand for Group of Seven, an organization of leaders from some of the world’s largest economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Russia was indefinitely suspended from the group — which was at the time known as the G8 — in 2014 after the majority of member countries allied against its annexation of Crimea.
What does the G7 do?
Members of the G7 meet each year for a summit to discuss global issues, such as international security and the world economy, and coordinate policy. This year, recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic is expected to be a big topic.
In a statement ahead of the summit, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would urge his fellow G7 leaders to make concrete commitments to vaccinate the world, as well as give support to the “Global Pandemic Radar” — a new global surveillance system intended to protect immunization programs.
What power does the G7 have?
The group has often produced decisions with global consequences.
Ahead of this year’s summit, for instance, G7 finance ministers agreed to back a global minimum tax of at least 15% on multinational companies. The G7 group also agreed that the biggest companies should pay tax where they generate sales, and not just where they have a physical presence.
