The US administration has decided not to include several key NATO allies in a meeting expected to be held next month in Poland, raising concerns about a possible split within the Alliance.
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According to six diplomats briefed on the preparations, the countries not invited include the United Kingdom, France and the Baltic states.
The meeting is being organized by Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s policy chief, and will focus on NATO’s future and the strengthening of its capabilities. The exclusion of several countries with high defense spending has caused surprise and discontent among their representatives.
An official from a member country that was not included in the meeting said governments were trying to determine the reasons and criteria behind the selection.
“We are doing everything they are asking us to do. We are trying to understand what the criteria are and what the purpose of these meetings is. So far, they have not communicated much to us,” the official said.
The White House and the Pentagon have not commented on the reports.
President Donald Trump and senior officials in his administration have repeatedly criticized several NATO countries, mainly over the level of their defense contributions and their positions on Washington’s policies.
Trump has said that the United States has shouldered most of the financial burden for the security of its allies, while some of these countries, he claims, have not done enough to support American interests.
In an earlier post on Truth Social, he described NATO as “a one-way street” and claimed that the US spends hundreds of billions of dollars on defending allied countries.
Politico reported in April that the White House had considered creating a list that would separate allies supporting the Trump administration’s priorities from those that do not meet them.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has taken a similar line, calling on allies to contribute more and align their positions with American interests.
The meeting in Poland will take place after two previous gatherings attended by Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands. This cooperation mechanism has been dubbed the “Bergen Group.”
Participants have rejected the idea that the group is intended to create a division within NATO. A diplomat involved in the talks said the objective is to prepare proposals that will later be submitted to the entire Alliance.
“This could serve as an engine of transformation” for the entire Alliance, the diplomat said.
However, he acknowledged that the decision to leave some countries out had caused anger, especially since some of them have reached or exceeded the defense spending targets demanded by the US administration.
Another person familiar with the planning said Denmark could join the group after reaching an agreement with the US on expanding the American military presence in Greenland.
The first meeting in this format was held in Bergen, Norway, in June and was chaired by Colby. It was attended by six allies considered to be closer to the US administration’s approach.
After that meeting, Colby said that allies rapidly meeting their defense spending commitments and willing to act had an opportunity to contribute.
Another diplomat warned that dividing NATO into “good people and bad people” could have serious consequences.
“If they try to divide NATO into good people and bad people, that is dangerous for the United States. However, for Europe it is a matter of existence,” he said.
