On the 16th of the month in Canada, Alberta, at the G7 summit, Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister (left), and Emmanuel Macron, the French President, engage in a conversation. /Courtesy of X (formerly Twitter)

The whispers between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron have become a topic of discussion at the Group of Seven (G7) summit.

On the 16th (local time), during the opening ceremony of the G7 summit held in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, President Macron whispered to Prime Minister Meloni, who was sitting next to him, for a long time. He gestured with his fist to his mouth while speaking, and Meloni leaned forward to listen intently.

At first, Meloni appeared to respond with a thumbs up, but after listening to the subsequent conversation, she raised her eyes and rolled them, drawing attention.

Although the details of their conversation have not been made public, the French daily Le Figaro reported that on social media, it was interpreted as 'another signal of discord' between the two leaders.

In fact, Prime Minister Meloni and President Macron have clashed multiple times since Meloni took office in 2022. Last year, over the inclusion of the phrase 'guaranteeing the right to abortion' in the G7 summit communiqué, President Macron pointed out that France has enshrined the freedom of abortion in its constitution, saying, 'Italy lacks that sentiment,' to which Meloni retorted, 'Don't campaign in the G7.'

There were clear divergences in trade and security issues as well. When Prime Minister Meloni expressed her intention to mediate in the tariff dispute between the United States and the European Union, the French side made it clear that 'the tariff issue is something the entire EU must address,' indicating discomfort that Meloni could undermine unity within Europe. In the matter of supporting Ukraine, Macron excluded Italy by forming a separate 'small leaders group' with Germany, the United Kingdom, and Poland, which raised Meloni's resentment.

The footage from that day captured the tension on the diplomatic stage and was also turned into an internet meme. One internet user edited the whispering video to include the voiceover, 'Meloni, come here. Do you know Trump puts pineapple on pizza? And do you know what the intelligence agencies have found? Trump breaks the spaghetti before cooking it!' This humor borrowed from the taboo of 'pineapple pizza' and 'breaking noodles' in Italian culture.