Peter Beyer, a top Merkel aide, told German media that they are concerned that NATO has not been included at any stage in planning for the July 16 summit. This further gives the sense among officials that they don’t have a good handle and Trump and what his intentions for the summit are.

On the other hand, Trump will be attending a very high-profile NATO summit in the days immediately before this summit, and almost certainly will be meeting some top officials to discuss the matter.