The NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, opened with a dinner bringing together the leaders of the Atlantic Alliance, including US President Donald Trump, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. According to images distributed by Turkish media, Trump was greeted at the entrance of the presidential palace by Erdogan and his wife Emine. Meloni arrived slightly later and was received by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz. The same sources report that the Italian delegation worked to limit direct encounters between Meloni and Trump, with studied seating arrangements during the dinner. Trump's statements against allies. Upon arriving in Ankara, Trump expressed disappointment with NATO and criticized several allies, including Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, accusing them of having turned their backs during the war against Iran. Regarding Meloni, he said: She is a good person, I like her, but she made a mistake and was not there for us. According to the US president, the war against Iran was a test for allies, and countries that have benefited from NATO investments should be willing to help. Meloni's strategy of silence. The Italian government chose not to respond publicly to Trump's statements. According to sources close to Palazzo Chigi reported by several outlets, the premier instructed her staff not to comment further. The delegation's official voice was entrusted to Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, who said that people pass but relationships with the United States must endure. Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani called Trump's words self-explanatory, while League leader Matteo Salvini said he would no longer comment on these matters. Opposition leader Giuseppe Conte stated that Trump's words should be rejected but accused Meloni of having gone along with him on everything. Diplomatic channels. According to some journalistic reconstructions, a high-ranking official within the Trump administration reportedly indicated willingness to rebuild the relationship with Meloni, suggesting the summit as an opportunity. A discreet channel between Meloni and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, was also reportedly reactivated. According to the same sources, Washington is considering entrusting Italy and Turkey with a leading role in stabilizing Libya and exploiting its resources. These elements, however, are based on anonymous diplomatic sources and have not been officially confirmed. Italy's defense spending and summit agenda. Italy presented defense spending at 2.8% of GDP, an increase of 0.71% guaranteed mainly by internal security-related expenditures. The main topics of the summit include the proposal to bring defense spending to 5% of GDP, support for Ukraine, and the future of US troops in Europe. Rutte urged allies not to abandon Kyiv and to be credible on the 5% target, noting that the average is already at 4%. Trump also stated that Vladimir Putin wants to end the war and that he intends to discuss this at NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, said Ukraine deserves NATO membership, highlighting the country's capabilities against drones. The Balogun case and the FIFA controversy. In parallel with the summit, a case related to the football World Cup being held in the United States has drawn international attention. American striker Folarin Balogun was sent off during the USA-Bosnia round-of-16 match on July 2 for a serious foul against defender Tarik Muharemovic. The automatic one-match suspension was suspended by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee through application of Article 27 of the Disciplinary Code, which allows for the partial or total suspension of a disciplinary measure, with a one-year probation period. Trump confirmed he called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to request a review of the decision, calling the referee Raphael Claus suspicious and horrible, and stating the foul did not exist. Infantino issued a statement stressing the independence of FIFA's judicial bodies, explaining that he regularly discusses World Cup-related matters with the US president and that the decision was made by independent bodies. The Belgian football federation filed an appeal, rejected by FIFA as inadmissible, while UEFA called the decision a crossed red line. The Brazilian football federation defended referee Claus's integrity. About thirty European MPs called for investigations into Infantino's role. In the round-of-16 match, Belgium defeated the United States 4-1. Balogun started but did not significantly affect the outcome. Belgian players and fans mocked the situation on social media with posts reading Overturn this, a reference to Trump's attempt to reverse the suspension decision.