Described as a critical moment by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the summit aims to move past four tense years under Biden's predecessor Donald Trump, who criticized the Western alliance as "obsolete." The 30 allies meeting in Brussels reject this characterization, relying on the alliance founded in 1949 to address threats such as extreme weather exacerbating conflicts and Russian efforts to undermine Western democracies. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphasized the need for NATO to continuously adapt to new challenges to protect the billion people it safeguards daily. Discussions at the summit are expected to address Russia's attempts to divide the West, ahead of a meeting between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva. Despite NATO's efforts to modernize defenses since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, vulnerabilities to cyber attacks and disinformation remain, although Moscow denies any involvement in destabilizing NATO allies. The European Leadership Network (ELN) research group stated in a paper released for the summit that cyber threats can arise at any time during a crisis and lead to misunderstandings and unintended signals that may result in war. Diplomats emphasize the importance of President Biden reaffirming the United States' commitment to NATO's collective defense following the confrontational approach taken by Trump towards allies from 2017 to 2019. China's increasing military and economic presence in the Atlantic, as well as joint military exercises with Russia, will provoke a strong reaction from leaders. Additionally, there is an anticipation for a commitment to ensure NATO militaries become carbon-neutral by 2050. The leaders of the G7 countries have decided to increase their contributions in order to fulfill a commitment to provide $100 billion annually in funding from wealthy nations to assist developing countries in reducing carbon emissions and addressing the effects of climate change.