Joe Biden was back at his best in his pet field of foreign affairs. He indulged in back-slapping familiarity with the other G leaders even as they planted the mangrove trees.
American President joined other leaders and stepped up his diplomatic initiative even as other G20 leaders donned matching shirts even as they soaked in the magnificence of their surroundings. The event was marked by the absence of Sergei Lavrov, the Russian external affairs minister. The occasion was delayed even as Biden remained huddled with other NATO leaders after news of a missile exploding in Poland.
Joe Biden Delayed His Program To Meet NATO Leaders To Discuss The Polish Missile Attack
The event attended by Joe Biden and other world leaders was an organized and well-orchestrated event hosted by Indonesia to underline environmental stewardship. The summit was marked by the stress over the war in Europe.
The planting event was itself delayed for several hours as Joe Biden and other major NATO partners huddled for a crisis meeting to talk over the missile incident that killed two people close to the border with Ukraine.
Joko Widodo, the Indonesian President, waited for over an hour as Joe Biden changed his plans to discuss the missile incident with his allies.
With Biden finally arriving, the leaders joined him at the Mangrove Forest in Hutan in white shirts and baseball caps. The group planted mangrove saplings in the forest. The mangrove is considered a critical habitat for many life forms and has many environmental benefits.
The world leaders were guided by an announcer who urged them to cover the sapling with soil. She instructed them to soak in the surrounding natural beauty.
The event provided the world leaders with an opportunity to informally greet each other. French President Emmanuel Macron led the group at times.
The participants were each handed a wet towel, a traditional Indonesian welcome. Joe Biden remained in the center of the group and was in his aviator sunglasses. Dressed in a blue dress shirt and had earlier been seen in a short sleeve shirt as he conferred with Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser.
