Fasano, Italy – This year’s G7 summit displayed signs of a fragile alliance, yet one that still effectively champions Western interests.

On Saturday, the leaders of formerly the wealthiest nations concluded the three-day G7 summit in Borgo Egnazia, a high-end resort in Italy’s southern Puglia region. However, their authority in global politics was overshadowed by domestic troubles for most members.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s party faced such a defeat at the European Parliament elections last week that he called for early elections. In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party suffered in the EU elections, prompting calls for a similar move. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces an early July election that forecasts suggest will result in a Labour party victory. In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approval has dropped to a mere 38%. Meanwhile, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been embroiled in a political crisis, making him Japan’s least popular leader since 1947.

The looming US presidential election in November, with the potential return of Donald Trump, has also cast a shadow over the summit. Trump is known for his scepticism of Washington’s multilateral agreements.

Despite these domestic challenges, G7 leaders delivered a powerful message of unity against threats to Western stability. Notably, they announced on Thursday their intention to use frozen Russian assets to provide a $50 billion loan to Ukraine in its war with Russia.

“The G7 seemed weak and politically struggling,” said Ettore Greco, deputy director of Instituto Affari Internazionali. “However, they performed admirably on critical issues such as Ukraine, Gaza, and China, showing a clear alignment and a message of unity.”

The main target was Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Alongside the $50 billion loan to Ukraine, the US introduced a new round of sanctions against Russian entities and individuals. During the summit, US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a historic 10-year security agreement, paralleled by a similar deal with Japan.

The issue of dealing with China’s growing economic competition saw European allies aligning more closely with the US. In a surprising move, the European Union imposed tariffs of nearly 50 percent on Chinese electric vehicles, a significant shift in trade policy, following the US’s lead from May.

The G7 leaders, on this matter, expressed concern about “China’s continued industrial targeting and non-market policies that cause global spillovers, market distortions, and harmful overcapacity in various sectors, undermining our economies” in a final statement from all G7 governments.

However, on the topic of abortion, the G7 seemed less cohesive. This year’s final communique avoided the term “abortion,” likely to appease Meloni’s far-right party, which opposes it. Last year’s statement from Japan’s summit called for “access to safe and legal abortion,” while this year’s only mentioned “comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.”

Shedding the ‘Elitist’ Image

The summit’s attempt to address shared concerns didn’t clearly succeed in breaking its elitist image or becoming more inclusive of other nations—especially those from the Global South—which was a key aim this year.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, hosting the summit, invited many guests, including leaders from India, Turkey, Brazil, and the UAE. Pope Francis also attended, a first for a pontiff, reflecting both Meloni’s African and Mediterranean political aspirations and a desire to broaden the club's outreach, often criticized as too Western-centric.

Meloni and other G7 members understand they can't tackle global issues or counter threats from China and Russia just by engaging amongst themselves.

Still, the question lingers: How attractive is the G7 to outsiders today? Questions about its legitimacy aren’t new. The G7’s share of global GDP has fallen from 70% to 40%, representing only one-tenth of the global population. Meanwhile, other global groups like BRICS, which counts India, Russia, and China as members, have grown, doubling their membership to 10 as of January this year.

Protectionist policies and sanctions, key elements binding G7 members at this summit, are primary sources of pain for others.

“Many countries are hesitant to act because Western nations are enacting measures that hurt their economies,” said Fredrik Erixon, economist and director at the European Centre for International Political Economy. “No Western leader can claim they want to open up their economy completely, making it difficult for other countries to support Western geopolitical goals.”

The conflict in Gaza has intensified global divides. The West is accused of double standards for firmly backing Ukraine while being softer on Israel’s actions, where more than 37,000 Palestinians have perished in eight months.

The G7’s final statement endorsed a ceasefire plan by Biden, reaffirming support for a two-state solution, including recognizing Palestinian statehood “at the appropriate time.”

It stressed Israel “must adhere to international law” and “avoid” an offensive in Rafah, Gaza. However, it fell short of condemning Israel’s conduct in the ongoing war, which the International Court of Justice is investigating as genocide, prompted by South Africa. Reports indicate Canada and France pushed for stronger language, but the US and Germany opposed it.

“For many worldwide, the G7’s failure to take a firmer stand on Gaza is a glaring example of Western hypocrisy,” said Rafael Loss, EU security expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations.