Alongside a NATO summit in London, Vladimir Putin is using climate change to exacerbate French-American discord. The Russian leader’s objective is to degrade NATO’s unity and support Russia’s readmission to the community of nations.

The time is ripe for Putin’s agitation. Going into this summit, the Trump administration is skeptical of European defense free-riding, hostile to Europe’s antipathy for the White House, and angered by French President Emmanuel Macron’s deference to China. Macron certainly hasn’t helped by recently suggesting that Trump is fueling NATO’s “brain death.”