US President Joe Biden went on a charm offensive with European allies at the G20 summit in Rome, unveiling a steel deal and promising to mend ties strained to breaking point by Donald Trump.

It was a fresh start in an ancient setting: those aboard the gigantic presidential convoy -- over 80 vehicles at times -- glimpsed the Vatican, Colosseum and Roman Forum as they were whisked around the Eternal City to high-end meetings this weekend.

Sunday saw Biden hold a news conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to celebrate "a new era" and a "milestone" in the transatlantic relationship.

They announced the end of a trade dispute on steel which dated back to the Trump presidency and promised to work together to fight climate change and resist Chinese competition.

Biden said the "major breakthrough" was "testament to the power of our strong partnership".

"We have restored trust and communication," von der Leyen responded, after Trump's "America First" policy alienated stalwart US allies across Europe and beyond.

Biden said the summit demonstrated the "power of America showing up" and working with its allies to forge progress on key issues.

"We got significant support here, significant support. The US of A is the most critical part of this entire agenda, and we did it," he said.

- 'Tangible progress' -

The talks went ahead without the leader of China, the world's largest emitter. President Xi Jinping instead appeared via video link, as did Vladimir Putin of Russia.

Biden said he was disappointed that Russia and China "basically didn't show up in terms of any commitments to deal with climate change".

"There's a reason why people should be disappointed in that. I found it disappointing myself," he said.

Nevertheless The US president said that the leaders who met in Rome had made "tangible progress" on key issues, from climate change to the coronavirus pandemic and the economy, ahead of the COP26 climate talks that opened on Sunday in Glasgow.

The US president on Friday sat down for talks with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The Democrat adopted an apologetic tone with Macron following a diplomatic crisis over a submarine deal, visiting the French embassy near the Vatican and proclaiming his "strong affection" for France.

Biden acknowledged the US had been "clumsy" in the affair, which saw it sign a deal with Australia for nuclear submarine technology at the expense of France.

Macron welcomed the efforts by the US to defuse the crisis, saying: "We clarified what we need to clarify."

- Nuclear umbrella -

With Xi and Putin absent from Rome, Biden had the geopolitical limelight largely to himself.

He also had a four-way session with Macron, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to harmonise positions on the Iranian nuclear crisis, and met separately with Merkel's likely successor, Olaf Scholz.

There were fences to mend over America's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, after Biden insisted on a total pull-out of US forces -- requiring European allies to follow suit.

A senior US official flagged up the chance to "make as much progress as possible while there is a (US) president in office who is deeply committed to the transatlantic relationship".

The same official also downplayed any differences of opinion on China.

Biden has rejected talk of a new Cold War with Beijing but has adopted a hard line that is not unanimously supported in Europe.

The official insisted he had seen "strong convergence" with the Europeans "on the nature of the challenge".

Washington has also promised to "consult closely with its allies" on a review now under way of the US nuclear posture.

This involves the world's leading power formalising the circumstances under which it might use nuclear weapons, particularly if its allies were attacked.

Britain, France and Germany, along with Australia and Japan, are concerned that the US could shrink its nuclear umbrella, according to the Financial Times.

Biden and Macron issued a joint statement on Friday in which they pledged "close consultations" on nuclear issues.

'Hey Joe!' Leaders josh around at G20 summit
Rome (AFP) Oct 30, 2021 - When world leaders finally got together for the G20 summit in Rome after over two years apart, the mood was festive, with formalities temporarily ditched in favour of fist-pumping and football quips.

"It is great to see all of you here, after a difficult few years for the global community. The pandemic has kept us apart - as it did with all our citizens," Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi said Saturday in opening the two days of high-level talks.

Tempers could easily have frayed: ahead of the summit French President Emmanuel Macron had seriously fallen out with the US over a submarine deal, while tensions were escalating with the UK over fishing rights.

But Britain's Boris Johnson gave Macron a mock-combative fist pump as he showed up -- late -- for the group picture.

The Briton kept it informal with US President Joe Biden too, quipping "Hey Joe!" as he took his place.

In a first for a G20 "family photo", the leaders were joined by medics, firefighters and other front-line workers who saved lives during the coronavirus pandemic.

A White House official said the US and France had patched things up with the administration expecting future conversations to be "exciting and engaging".

Biden's wife Jill and Macron's wife Brigitte even grabbed a glass of wine together Friday, with Jill declaring they were "like sisters".

"I love Italy, Brigitte loves Italy. Who would not love Italy?" she said as they laughed together.

- 'Pushing the boat out' -

There was joshing around too between Argentine President Alberto Fernandez and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro -- who regularly clash over politics.

"You have not yet congratulated me for Argentina's triumph in the Copa America," Fernandez told Bolsonaro, who had publicly vowed Brazil would beat Argentina 5-0 in the final.

The Brazilian president had spent part of Friday living "la dolce vita" as he sampled delicacies near the Pantheon and posed for photographs at the Trevi Fountain, before posting a video of his jaunt on Twitter -- to the soundtrack of the Italian national anthem.

The leaders were set Saturday to dine with Italy's President Sergio Mattarella, who was laying on a feast of salmon, pumpkin risotto, stuffed artichokes and lashings of wine.

Their spouses had trips to the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican planned first.

After a visit with the pope at the Vatican on Friday, the US motorcade -- made up of some 84 cars -- ran into trouble, with one of its vehicles caught up in a minor accident.

The White House said there were "no serious injuries".

The G20 has brought the historic city centre in the Italian capital to a standstill.

But a security "red zone" around the summit itself has left streets eerily empty around Rome's futuristic convention centre, known as the "Nuvola" (cloud), in the southern EUR district.

The neighbourhood, built by Benito Mussolini to glorify his fascist regime, certainly impressed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who remarked to Boris on the "unusual opulence" of the surroundings.

The Italian hosts certainly "have pushed the boat out", Boris quipped.

Across town, money -- or the lack of funds spent by the G20 on helping poor countries tackle climate change -- was the theme of a singing protest in Rome by an ABBA cover band.

It was not clear whether any of the leaders heard them.

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