The G7 is one of the few stages where almost everyone is coached. Leaders are trained on exactly how to stand, when to smile and how long to hold a hand, which is why I usually warn people against reading too much into these events. And yet, watching Giorgia Meloni receive one head of state after another, the small inconsistencies were hard to miss. A smile that didn't quite open. A handshake that turned, just slightly, into a power play. Those tiny breaks in the script are where the truth tends to leak.
Let me take you through her greetings, one by one, and what each one suggested. Remember: body language reveals patterns and probabilities, not verdicts.
The pursed-lip welcomes
When EU President Ursula von der Leyen arrived, Meloni's smile was not open. She extended her hand, the first shake plain and formal, then a second that tilted into what I'd call a subjugating grip — palm angling to the top. The smile that followed was a pursed-lip smile, the lips pressed and stretched rather than parted. That is a controlled, polite expression, not warmth. With European Council President Charles Michel it was the same story: a formal handshake, the same pressed lips. To me that reads as there is business still to settle here — courtesy on the surface, reservation underneath.
The genuinely warm ones
The contrast with Rishi Sunak was striking. Both smiles were bright and reached the eyes, and there was real physical touch in the greeting. That kind of warmth usually signals a relationship both sides expect to benefit from. With Germany's chancellor, Meloni began with pursed lips that then opened into a genuine smile — a Duchenne smile, the kind you cannot fake on command. Even so, the slow start hints at something not yet ready to be disclosed.
Respect she chose to show
With Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, watch her posture. She leaned in slightly — a small bow. She knows that in Japan respect is shown through a bend of the body, and she offered it. Later she kept a respectful distance while talking. That isn't coldness; it is deliberate deference, adapted to the person in front of her.
The hand on the shoulder
Justin Trudeau's head tilt told me the two had plenty to talk about, and Meloni looked ready to share a plan. But notice how she closed it: a hand on his shoulder, a small steer forward, a light tap as he moved off. That gesture, in this context, is a polite way of saying not now — we'll talk properly later. It ends the moment without ending the relationship.
Emmanuel Macron's greeting was calm and respectful but noticeably distanced, and the distance seemed to come from his side. Between France and Italy, that small gap can hint at issues still unresolved. With Joe Biden, Meloni stepped forward a few paces to meet him — partly courtesy to a senior leader. But her hand gestures, both palms facing down, suggested she wasn't especially eager to engage in that moment; she was giving the cameras their photo and little more.
The group photo
The most telling moment came when everyone gathered. Von der Leyen walked straight towards the centre, seemingly expecting to stand there, and was directed to the corner instead. Once placed on the side, her arms crossed — a classic self-protective barrier. Most other leaders stood open, feet planted, which reads as confidence and ease. Hers did not.
None of this confirms what was actually said behind closed doors. But the smiles that opened and the ones that stayed pressed, the warm touches and the careful distances, sketch a fairly honest map of who Meloni felt close to that day — and who she was still keeping at arm's length.