Speaking at the report’s launch in Berlin ahead of the February 13–15 Munich Security Conference, Whitaker said he “completely rejects” the premise, arguing that the Trump administration is pressing allies for greater burden-sharing rather than stepping back from NATO commitments. European officials, however, point to a year of sharp transatlantic friction, including disputes over Greenland and increasingly confrontational U.S. rhetoric toward allies, even as European countries move to boost defense spending toward a proposed NATO target of 5% of GDP by 2035. Germany has also taken on a larger command role in Lithuania as NATO reinforces its eastern flank.