You’d think at a high-stakes global summit like the G7, world leaders would at least know who’s who. But UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer apparently missed that memo.
During what should’ve been a smooth and polished photo op in Canada, Starmer confidently marched up to greet who he thought was South Korea’s President. Problem is—it wasn’t. It was just the interpreter.
And while the real President, Lee Jae-myung, stood politely (and awkwardly) in the background, Starmer locked eyes with the wrong guy, smiled wide, and gave him the kind of firm handshake usually reserved for actual heads of state. The whole thing dragged on for several seconds before the real President stepped in like someone trying to reclaim his seat at a dinner table someone else just sat at.
Once the mix-up was clear, Starmer pivoted, but then the pair stumbled into another awkward moment—neither one sure exactly where to stand for the cameras. If diplomacy is an art, this was finger-painting.
Naturally, Downing Street is playing it cool, brushing off the whole moment like nothing happened. No big deal, just the leader of the United Kingdom misidentifying another country’s president on the world stage.
But wait, it gets better.
The day before, Starmer had another viral moment when he dropped to his knees—not in apology, but in a frantic scramble to pick up trade documents dropped by none other than Donald Trump. That’s right. Britain's PM, on all fours, playing paperboy for the former US president while photographers clicked away.
Meanwhile, the summit's actual agenda—Ukraine, energy security, Middle East instability, AI, and sanctions—seemed to take a backseat to the flurry of viral embarrassments.
Amid it all, Trump took a swing at the G7 itself, calling Russia’s expulsion a “huge mistake” and claiming Moscow’s presence might’ve prevented the Ukraine crisis. The Kremlin didn’t miss a beat, either. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev jumped in with his usual flair, calling the G7 a “dead club” full of “zombies,” praising Trump for bailing early.
It’s no wonder people are questioning if the G7 is still relevant—or just a stage for political bloope