Hot mics capture world leaders' chats between weighty topics at G7 summit

By — Rob Gillies, Associated Press Rob Gillies, Associated Press By — Sylvie Corbet, Associated Press Sylvie Corbet, Associated Press By — Darlene Superville, Associated Press Darlene Superville, Associated Press By — Collin Binkley, Associated Press Collin Binkley, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/hot-mics-capture-world-leaders-chats-between-weighty-topics-at-g7-summit Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Hot mics capture world leaders' chats between weighty topics at G7 summit World Jun 16, 2026 1:24 PM EDT EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — The leaders of the world's richest democracies are talking about how to tackle some of the world's biggest problems this week, but hot mics at the G7 summit revealed that conversations also covered lighter fare. Sports. Cigarettes. The weather. And something about Greenland? As world leaders made their way into conference rooms at a lakeside resort, microphones set up for their weighty discussions about war and trade often caught off-the-cuff banter. Meloni quit smoking Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni' s smoking habits were the subject of a hot-mic moment on Tuesday. Asked by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz if she had already had a cigarette that morning, Meloni revealed that she hadn't smoked "since the first of May." Her turn against tobacco prompted enthusiastic congratulations from leaders of Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan and the European Union. Meloni raised her hands in celebration. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had a question for her. "Do you have a patch?" Carney asked, grabbing his own arm. Sports talk includes 'Allez les blues!' With the World Cup underway in the United States, Mexico and Canada, soccer naturally became a fallback of discussion. As leaders gathered for lunch, French President Emmanuel Macron and others weighed in. Someone shouted "Allez les bleus," the cheer for the French team. Another leader can be heard talking about the recent Champions League victory by Paris-Saint Germain. WATCH: Trump says he 'wouldn't mind' sending Iran deal memo to Congress U.S. President Donald Trump turned attention to the UFC cage-match event he hosted at the White House on Sunday. Trump, who sat ringside on his 80th birthday, spoke glowingly about Dana White, the CEO of UFC. At another point in the day, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer effused about Cape Verde's surprise 0-0 draw against World Cup champion Spain. "Quite remarkable, I have to say," he said. Trump makes a cryptic Greenland reference In a moment of intrigue, Trump was caught on microphone talking with European Council President António Costa. "You understand?" Trump said before pausing and looking squarely at Costa. "Greenland." The start and end of the conversation was unclear. European politicians have been outraged by Trump's threats to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. Macron loses track