Macron cut by Putin, technical error at the apex of the atmosphere

Even the top leaders on the planet are not immune from the hiccups of videoconferencing: a speech recorded earlier Thursday by French President Emmanuel Macron at a climate summit in Washington was cut short by Vladimir Putin.

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While Mr Macron stressed the importance of the fight against global warming, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken suddenly thanked him, apparently not realizing that the state speech had not been completed in French. The head of American diplomacy spoke directly to Vladimir Putin during the process.

After a moment of hesitation, the Russian president expressed suspicion that it was his turn to speak. Then Mr. Putin began his speech.

Anthony Blinken re-launched a video of Emmanuel Macron explaining that there were “technical difficulties” and that he “wanted to give ground” to the French president.

The reasons for this distribution problem are not specified.

This is not the only technology encountered at this summit. From the introduction provided by US Vice President Kamala Harris, the resonance issue has temporarily made it harder to hear.

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Later, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison suffered from changes in virtual meetings, with his microphone cut off at the beginning of his speech.

The conference, which brings together 40 leaders via videoconference in two days, is aimed at restarting global cooperation in the fight against climate change.