NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has described the upcoming summit as a "pivotal moment" aimed at moving past the tense years under former President Donald Trump, who criticized the alliance as "obsolete." The 30 allies meeting in Brussels believe that NATO, founded in 1949, is crucial in addressing threats such as extreme weather, Russian interference in Western democracies, and other emerging challenges. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphasized the importance of NATO evolving to confront new threats in order to protect the billion people it defends every day. Discussions at the summit are expected to focus on Russia's attempts to divide the West, ahead of a meeting between President Biden and Russian President Putin in Geneva. Despite NATO's efforts to modernize its defenses since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, the alliance remains susceptible to cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns. The European Leadership Network (ELN) research group warned that cyber threats could arise at any time during a crisis, leading to misunderstandings and unintended signals that may escalate into war. Diplomats are eager for President Biden to reaffirm the United States' commitment to NATO's collective defense following the confrontational approach taken by Trump towards allies at previous summits. Leaders are also concerned about China's increasing military and economic influence in the Atlantic, as well as the possibility of joint military drills with Russia. Additionally, there is an expectation for a commitment to make NATO militaries carbon-neutral by 2050. The leaders of the G7 countries have agreed to increase their contributions in order to fulfill a commitment to provide $100 billion annually from wealthy nations to assist developing countries in reducing carbon emissions and addressing the effects of climate change.