Belgian Minister Tells Russia to 'Calm Down' — Using Selena Gomez Song in a Nuclear Feud

Belgium's newly appointed defence minister, Theo Francken, has taken an unconventional approach in his latest diplomatic spat against Russia.

Francken took to Instagram, posting Selena Gomez's song 'Calm Down' in response to a nuclear threat from Russia's former president Dmitry Medvedev. While tensions between NATO and Russia have been high for years, few expected a sitting minister to address a nuclear threat using American pop music.

Francken's post, which quickly went viral, came after Medvedev lashed out at Belgium over comments the minister made earlier in the week, suggesting that NATO would 'flatten Moscow' if the Kremlin dared to attack Brussels.

Russia Threatens to Use Belgium as a Nuclear Test Site

According to POLITICO, the controversy began when Francken, in an interview with Belgian news outlet HUMO, reaffirmed Belgium's commitment to NATO's mutual defence clause. He stressed that any attack on a member nation would trigger collective retaliation.

The statement was meant to be a statement of alliance unity, but was swiftly seized upon by Moscow.

Medvedev responded by calling Francken an 'imbecile'. He then went on to boast that Russia had tested its Poseidon nuclear super-weapon that week, describing it as a 'true doomsday device'.

But things escalated when the former president responded to a social media user suggesting Belgium be used as a testing ground, 'Then Belgium will disappear'.

Belgium Goes 'Selena Gomez' Mode Against Russia

According to European political analysts, this is not the first time Medvedev or Russia has used nuclear rhetoric online to intimidate Western officials. However, Francken's response marked a new kind of pushback.

Instead of using a formal diplomatic rebuttal, Francken took to Instagram on Thursday morning with a message, 'Russia's bully-in-chief never stops threatening and insulting', he wrote.

He explained that NATO is not at war with the Russian Federation, clarifying that his earlier remarks are a reminder of their long-standing policy of collective defence. He emphasised that while NATO seeks peace, it remains firmly prepared to retaliate if provoked.

The minister paired his caption with Selena Gomez and Rema's 'Calm Down', a 2023 pop remix about patience and emotional restraint, a tongue-in-cheek plea for Kremlin to do just that. Within hours, the post attracted thousands of likes and comments, some joking that Gomez just became 'NATO's unofficial spokesperson'.

While critics accused the minister of trivialising nuclear issues, his supporters argued that the post successfully disarmed aggression, for now.

True to Francken's statement, a senior NATO official anonymously noted that the defence minister's comments 'reflected standard NATO principles'. Meanwhile, Medvedev has not responded further, though Kremlin-linked accounts have continued to criticise Belgium online.

Besides, Russia has had its own share of musical messaging tied to nuclear threats. MP Denis Amidanov released a YouTube music video celebrating Russia's intercontinental ballistic missile nicknamed 'Satan II'. The song boasted about the missile's destructive power and warning 'enemies' through what many described as a lyric-based ideological weapon of propaganda.

Francken, for his part, appears unfazed, telling reporters that he 'meant what he said' and that a sense of humour remains a national defence mechanism.