NATO summit in Ankara highlights spouses' child‑safety agenda and Czech PM's war‑focused remarks

At the NATO summit in Ankara, the spouses of member‑state leaders held a separate program titled “Children, Technology and Security: Protecting the Next Generation.” Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s wife Monika Babišová participated, emphasizing the need for a safe digital environment for children. Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska discussed protecting youths from online radicalisation and met Ukrainian children evacuated to Turkey.

During the summit’s informal dinner, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said the conversation centred on war rather than peace, noting, “Všichni mluví o válce, všichni mluví o zbrojení a zatím jsem vůbec neslyšel slovo mír.” He added that the dinner was not about NATO spending. Babiš shared the table with leaders including Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump and other heads of state, but did not speak directly with President Petr Pavel.

The event underscored diplomatic networking among NATO members while spotlighting concerns about digital child safety and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.