SIX LEADERS HOLD EYE CONTACT WITH BLACK RECTANGLE, CALL IT DIPLOMACY
G7 energy summit proceeds smoothly after leaders agree the empty video tile counts as a seat at the table.
World leaders convened by video Thursday to discuss diesel supplies and oil prices, with five heads of state appearing on camera and President Trump appearing as a dark gray square that occasionally made a small clicking noise. According to a screenshot circulated by the head of the International Energy Agency, attendees nodded along in real time to the rectangle for the better part of forty minutes, with several reportedly unsure whether they were being muted or simply ignored.
"The audio-only contribution on diesel was substantive and efficient," said a French aide who helped host the call, adding that the black square "tracked the conversation closely" and "raised no objections to anything." The IEA is said to be studying a permanent black-square seat for future summits, citing reduced lighting costs and the fact that nobody has to make small talk with it beforehand. Several other leaders were privately observed testing whether their own webcams could develop a sudden, dignified malfunction.
By the meeting's end, aides on three continents had quietly updated their laptop settings to include a one-click "spontaneous camera failure" option, listed in the menu simply as "Diplomatic Mode."
