Nato leaders will not mention World Cup to Donald Trump to avoid irritating him at summit | Nato

NATO leaders have informally agreed not to mention the football World Cup to Donald Trump if they upset the US president at a crucial time for the military alliance.

European leaders discussed on the sidelines of the summit in Ankara how to keep Trump on their side amid concerns he could further destabilize NATO with threats over defense spending, officials said.

They are already working together to reassure the US president that they are doing their part financially by building a “stronger and more European NATO” with each member on track to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense by 2035.

In the first open acknowledgment of the strategy, Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever told reporters in Ankara that he would not discuss his country’s 4-1 victory over the United States earlier this week.

The summit followed a row after Trump asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the red card shown to US striker Folarin Balogun, meaning he could play in the match against Belgium.

Ahead of their meeting at the summit, De Wever joked to reporters that the US president “has a reputation for sometimes reacting a little bit angrily to things he doesn’t like, and I think this defeat is going to hit very hard.”

The Belgian leader said that his country’s football victory against the USA shaped his first meetings in Ankara. “Everyone is talking about one thing and that is congratulations to the Red Devils on their well-deserved victory,” he said, which is the national team’s nickname.

“Of course, there is also the losing side. That is NATO’s biggest partner.”

Asked if he was worried that Trump might be upset about the US withdrawing from the tournament, he told Flemish broadcaster VRT: “I won’t start [talking] myself for that matter. But if he says something about it, then I’ll see what it is and how I can react to it.”

Trump has yet to comment on the U.S. team’s defeat, but he poked fun at how many Belgian players during the match imitated his signature dance move after the fourth goal.

Ahead of England’s quarter-final against Norway on Saturday, Keir Starmer taunted his Norwegian counterpart by saying England had “only won the World Cup under Labor governments”.

The Prime Minister joked with Jonas Gahr Store after the meeting in Ankara, where both wore their national team jerseys.