Italian newspaper Il Manifesto indicated that Macron's behavior could be considered overstepping boundaries, asserting that the cheek kiss was unbearably tacky and appeared "akin to an Eskimo nose-to-nose kiss".
Khaberni - French President Emmanuel Macron puzzled Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, when he tightly grasped her shoulders upon her reception at the Strait of Hormuz navigation resumption conference.
According to French channel BFMTV, Macron's action prompted Meloni to extricate herself from his grip, as seen in video clips shared on social media.
Macron was seen in the video warmly greeting Meloni by firmly holding her shoulders and exchanging a kiss on the cheek, and Meloni’s face showed displeasure as she attempted to wriggle free, ending with Macron passing his hand over her back.
The channel's correspondent, commenting on the arrival ceremony, appeared flustered by this scene, noting a "diplomatic tension between the two countries".
Meloni had arrived in Paris on Friday to participate in the Strait of Hormuz summit, dedicated to discussing the establishment of a multi-national peace mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation.
The European conference on resuming navigation through the Strait of Hormuz took place in Paris on April 17, 2026, where nearly fifty countries, led by France and Britain, discussed frameworks for an international mission to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
