- Rob Crilly, us correspondent
One moment, five photos and duelling attempts to write history and claim dominance.
With the G7 summit reaching its crunch moment, five official photographs capture the tension of the talks - and each side's attempt to claim victory through pictures.
This is how the final minutes unfolded: Some kind of statement, a communiqué, is needed to demonstrate that the jaunt to a sleepy village in Quebec has not been a colossal waste of time.
At stake is the future of global trade and the leaders of the world's richest democracies know they need a compromise to show that they can make progress despite their obvious tensions.
On one side sits Donald Trump. Behind him officials clasp documents while across a table stands the rest of the G7's leaders, including Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, Emmanuel Macron, the French president and Theresa May, the Prime Minister.
With the G7 summit reaching its crunch moment, five official photographs capture the tension of the talks - and each side's attempt to claim victory through pictures.
This is how the final minutes unfolded: Some kind of statement, a communiqué, is needed to demonstrate that the jaunt to a sleepy village in Quebec has not been a colossal waste of time.
At stake is the future of global trade and the leaders of the world's richest democracies know they need a compromise to show that they can make progress despite their obvious tensions.
On one side sits Donald Trump. Behind him officials clasp documents while across a table stands the rest of the G7's leaders, including Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, Emmanuel Macron, the French president and Theresa May, the Prime Minister.
Donald Trump's expression is clear in this photograph circulated by his press secretary CREDIT:TWITTER/SARAH SANDERS
The first tilt at the official history arrived from the American side, tweeted by Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary.
Mr Trump leans back, arms folded into a pose of utter confidence. His expression is the face of man who has spent years navigating the property market and law courts of New York City during its worst years. "Screw you," it says wordlessly.
Mr Trump leans back, arms folded into a pose of utter confidence. His expression is the face of man who has spent years navigating the property market and law courts of New York City during its worst years. "Screw you," it says wordlessly.
He has the rest of the G7 exactly how he wants them. Look at Theresa May leaning in as if every word he speaks is dripping in Socratic wisdom.
The drama and the stakes are only increased by the use of black and white.
The drama and the stakes are only increased by the use of black and white.
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[FONT="]Emmanuel Macron is in control, according to his team's image[/FONT] [FONT="]CREDIT: HANDOUT[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Yet 10 minutes later things look rather different as the French president's office offers its take.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Emmanuel Macron is in control, according to his team's image[/FONT] [FONT="]CREDIT: HANDOUT[/FONT]
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[FONT="]This time it is Mr Macron who holds the rapt attention of his audience, as he goes head to head with his American counterpart. He is caught in classic Gallic pose, fingers gathered together to make his point.
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[FONT="]Perhaps by accident, probably by design, Ms Merkel's face is not even visible.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Perhaps by accident, probably by design, Ms Merkel's face is not even visible.[/FONT]
That didn't matter. The Germans had a trick up their sleeve in the form of Jezco Denzel, a photographer working for the German government and a winner this year of a World Press Photo award.
It is his photograph that has gone viral and spawned a thousand memes, showing Mrs Merkel looming over Mr Trump, hands flat on the table. The most powerful man in world can only display the sort of smirk deployed by schoolboys with something to hide.
It is his photograph that has gone viral and spawned a thousand memes, showing Mrs Merkel looming over Mr Trump, hands flat on the table. The most powerful man in world can only display the sort of smirk deployed by schoolboys with something to hide.
View image on Twitter
Michael Weiss
✔@michaeldweiss
Moments before Merkel quietly informed Trump that German commandos had just liberated Melania from the White House.
10:09 PM - Jun 9, 2018
Michael Weiss✔@michaeldweiss
Moments before Merkel quietly informed Trump that German commandos had just liberated Melania from the White House.
10:09 PM - Jun 9, 2018
He looks all out of clever comebacks.
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[FONT="]Giuseppe Conte is pictured from behind as he addresses Mrs Merkel[/FONT] [FONT="]CREDIT: HANDOUT[/FONT]
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[FONT="]The Italians followed up but what can you do when your prime minister has been in power for three full days. And may not be around for the next G7. Or G6 or G8 or whatever it will be by then.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Giuseppe Conte is pictured from behind as he addresses Mrs Merkel[/FONT] [FONT="]CREDIT: HANDOUT[/FONT]
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[FONT="]We see Giuseppe Conte from behind, in the corner of the frame, text in hand, as he addresses Mrs Merkel. Mr Macron makes adjustments to the draft communiqué.[/FONT]
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And then we have the hosts, Canada, who either thought that whoever came last may have the best chance to influence the history writers or simply failed to realise what was going on until it was almost too late (which is better than the British and Japanese teams who failed to get their versions out).
Mr Trudeau adopts the manner of a cool teacher, as if he has his in his pocket as he explains how it's going to work CREDIT: HANDOUT/REUTERS
Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, looks like the figure who always turns up in the middle of a heated debate to act as a referee - as befits his role of this year's chairman and host - while actually suggesting a "compromise" that reflects his own starting position.
He is a step back, hand palm down in a gesture of peacemaking, as if he is somehow above the fray.
None of it mattered of course. Within a matter of hours the communiqué itself was history. Not in the sense of a moment of great import, more in the sense of Donald Trump changing his mind aboard Air Force One, firing off a couple of angry tweets and withdrawing his support from the joint statement.
At least they'll always have the photographs.
He is a step back, hand palm down in a gesture of peacemaking, as if he is somehow above the fray.
None of it mattered of course. Within a matter of hours the communiqué itself was history. Not in the sense of a moment of great import, more in the sense of Donald Trump changing his mind aboard Air Force One, firing off a couple of angry tweets and withdrawing his support from the joint statement.
At least they'll always have the photographs.
