Signal Trump presses allies on defense costs and NATO, courts Russia's G7 return and sidelines the WTO

Summary

The report lists concrete episodes showing how the second Trump administration's strategic judgment has played out. Trump clashed with the EU and allies over higher defense spending, raised the possibility of leaving NATO as leverage and repeatedly demanded that allies take on more of the burden of regional defense. He also called for Russia to be readmitted so that the G7 would return to a G8 format, which the authors say undermines the club's character as a gathering of advanced Western economies. Open neutering of the WTO system and strong warnings against BRICS efforts to develop an alternative to the dollar are cited as further examples. Together these moves are presented as evidence that burden sharing and great-power politics now shape US conduct toward partners and rivals alike.