Nato leaders avoid World Cup talk to protect defence spending deal
European leaders have agreed to avoid mentioning the football World Cup around Donald Trump at the Ankara summit, prioritising fragile negotiations over a 5% GDP defence spending target.
European leaders have informally agreed to avoid discussing the football World Cup with Donald Trump at the Nato summit in Ankara. The strategy aims to prevent the US president’s potential irritation over his country's 4-1 defeat by Belgium from destabilising critical alliance talks.
The diplomatic silence is designed to keep Trump focused on a subject with profound economic implications for European capitals: defence spending. Officials are keen to reassure the president that the continent is pulling its financial weight by building what they call a “stronger and more European Nato”. Under this framework, all members are on track to commit 5% of their GDP to defence by 2035.
The tactic was publicly confirmed by Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, whose country delivered the defeat to the US earlier this week. Before meeting Trump, De Wever told reporters he would not be raising the match. “He has the reputation of sometimes reacting a bit irritably to things that he doesn’t like, and I think this defeat will hit hard,” the Belgian leader said.
The victory still dominated De Wever’s early discussions in Ankara. “Everyone’s talking about one thing, and that is congratulations for the well deserved victory of the Red Devils,” he said. “Of course, the losing party is also present. That also happens to be the biggest partner in Nato.”
Despite the restraint, De Wever could not resist an oblique reference to the match's controversies. Trump had previously asked Fifa president Gianni Infantino to review a red card shown to US striker Folarin Balogun. Noting that Nato stands ready to provide €70bn (£59.7bn) in military aid to Ukraine this year and next, De Wever added: “This is also a very strong ‘red card’ to Putin. You can’t just take back a red card. You know that.”
Trump has not commented on the loss, though Belgian players mimicked his signature dance move after scoring their fourth goal. Elsewhere, Keir Starmer teased his Norwegian counterpart, Jonas Gahr Støre, ahead of England’s quarter-final against Norway on Saturday. The two leaders held their meeting in national team shirts, with Starmer noting that England “only win the World Cup under Labour governments”.
