Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced that she had given up smoking during an informal conversation among world leaders at the G-7 summit hosted by France on Tuesday.
Meloni had long been known for her struggle to quit smoking. In previous interviews, she said she had stopped smoking for 13 years before eventually taking up the habit again.
She also once told an Italian newspaper that being forced to quit would be extremely difficult, describing the prospect as "almost impossible."
As European leaders chatted on the sidelines of the G-7 gathering, Meloni remarked that she needed a coffee to help her stay alert.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz then jokingly referenced cigarettes, prompting Meloni to respond, "I stopped."
She added that she had stopped smoking last month, drawing smiles from those around her.
Turkish social media users reacted with praise after Meloni announced that she had quit smoking, with many jokingly thanking President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his role in encouraging her to give up the habit.
The announcement prompted Turkish media outlets to reshare a video from a Gaza-focused summit in Egypt in October 2025, showing Erdoğan urging Meloni to stop smoking during a conversation attended by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Erdoğan is widely known for his strong anti-smoking stance and has spent years encouraging both citizens and public figures to quit, making Meloni's announcement a widely discussed topic across Turkish social media platforms.
Known for his staunch anti-smoking stance, Erdoğan has publicly collected cigarette packs from those who pledged to give up the habit. More than 200 of the surrendered packs were later exhibited at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.
