If there was any doubt that Joe Biden is no longer in the picture for many world leaders, his final G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro provided a sure sign.
The US President was found missing in the official picture of the G20 Summit on November 18 the time he headed for it, everyone was done taking the picture.
Frustrated US officials blamed “logistical issues” for the blunder.
“They took the photo early before all the leaders had arrived. So a number of the leaders weren’t there,” a US official said on condition of anonymity.
But Biden was not the only missing person from the photo as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni were also seen nowhere in the picture.
Biden has been making a last pitch for global support on issues from Ukraine and Gaza to climate change before Donald Trump returns to the White House.
China’s Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva were seen chatting in the front row before posing together.
Key Discussions
At the G20 on Monday, Biden had urged the other leaders to back Ukraine’s “sovereignty,” in his first comments since it emerged on Sunday that he had approved Kyiv’s use of long-range missiles against Russia.
Yet Trump could reverse not only that decision but also Biden’s huge US military aid for Ukraine, with signs that the president-elect may push through a peace deal that could force Kyiv to cede territory to Moscow.
Biden also pushed G20 leaders to pressure Hamas on a ceasefire deal with Israel, and while Trump has appointed some key Israel hawks, he may also try to push for a historic deal there.
Time and again, Biden has used his valedictory appearance on the world stage to try to keep his policies out of Trump’s shadow.
At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima last week, Biden met with Xi, who promised to work with Trump on a “smooth” transition even as both leaders warned of turbulence ahead.
On Sunday, Biden visited the Amazon rainforest in Brazil to promote his record on climate change, despite Trump threatening to pull the United States back out of the Paris climate agreement.
At the G20 he announced what the White House called a “historic” $4 billion pledge for a World Bank fund that helps the world’s poorest countries.
(With inputs from agencies)