President Trump was right to send letters to American NATO allies requesting that they increase defense spending. First reported on by the New York Times, the letters have caused concern in European circles and among the foreign policy establishment in the U.S.

Speaking to the New York Times, a Democratic Party defense official, Derek Chollet, claims the letters are poorly timed in the run up to next week’s NATO summit. That’s because, Chollet says, “[The Europeans] are hoping to survive [the summit] without irreparable damage, and so the fact that you have all these storm clouds surrounding NATO and Trump is really worrisome.”