Rishi Sunak puts on affectionate display with Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni

Rishi Sunak greeted the Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni with an affectionate embrace at the welcome ceremony of the G7 summit today.

The Prime Minister and his Italian counterpart put on a very friendly display at the gathering at the Borgo Egnazia resort in Puglia, Italy.

Mr Sunak and Ms Meloni were pictured embracing and holding hands as they greeted one another this morning.

The pair, who were elected within days of each other in October 2022, have had a political relationship that has blossomed in the past 18 months, centred around the issue of immigration.

They can also be seen affectionately holding each other’s shoulders as Mr Sunak leans towards Ms Meloni.

It comes as the Prime Minister is set to announce an extra £250 million for Ukraine and urge world leaders to do “whatever it takes” to defeat Russia.

Both leaders have been under pressure to deal with the number of illegal migrants on their country's shores, and stopping the boats has become a central pillar of their pitch to voters.

More than 145,000 people have reached Italy by sea so far this year, a sharp increase on the 88,000 the previous year.

In the UK, around 28,000 people have crossed the channel in small boats, compared to 45,000 in 2022.

Illegal migration will come under scrutiny as World leaders gather for the two-day summit.

It is also a chance to amplify his prime ministerial credentials in an attempt to divert attention from his decision to leave the D-Day commemorations early.

The two priorities at the summit, which will also be attended by US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emanuel Macron will be to support Kyiv and to secure peace in the Middle East.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zeelensky and Pope Francis will also be at the event.

Mr Sunak will use the gathering to attempt to persuade leaders to leverage billions from immobilised Russian assets to support Ukraine.