World leaders attending the NATO summit in Ankara have informally agreed not to discuss the World Cup with US president Donald Trump for fear of antagonising him. Officials said the leaders had made the pledge while speaking on the sidelines of the summit.
Belgian Prime Minister Confirms Avoidance
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever told reporters he would not be discussing his country's 4-1 win over the US. De Wever said Trump “has the reputation of sometimes reacting a bit irritably to things that he doesn’t like, and I think this defeat will hit hard”.
Starmer and Store Exchange Banter
Earlier, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store that England “only win the World Cup under Labour governments” ahead of their countries' quarter-final clash. The two leaders exchanged banter in the gardens of the British ambassador’s residence in the Turkish capital following a meeting at the annual NATO summit.
Both men, wearing the football shirts of their respective countries, shook hands before Store reminded Starmer of Norway’s 1981 World Cup qualifying victory over England. Store said: “Forty-five years ago, Prime Minister, Norway played England in the qualification and we won. And the radio commentators said, ‘Maggie Thatcher, can you hear me? Your boys took one hell of a beating’.”
Starmer replied: “What you’re leaving out is that England only win the World Cup under Labour governments – 1966 – so the time is ours.”
NATO Summit Agenda
England’s dramatic victory over Mexico in the early hours of Monday morning set up the encounter on Saturday with Norway, who defeated Brazil on their way to the quarter-final. Their footballing interlude provided a light-hearted moment ahead of a crucial NATO summit set to be again dominated by rows about defence spending amid doubts over Donald Trump’s commitment to the alliance.
In their meeting, the two men had discussed support for Ukraine and efforts to ensure a long-standing ceasefire in the Middle East.
