The Trump administration excluded several major NATO allies, including the United Kingdom, France and the Baltic states, from a meeting in Poland in October intended to discuss the future of the alliance.
The Pentagon-led gathering is being hosted by U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby and will involve a select group of NATO countries, Politico reported Wednesday (Sept. 30), citing six diplomats familiar with the planning.
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The countries invited to participate are Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands. Colby has already held two similar meetings with representatives from these countries in a format known as the Bergen Group.
The exclusion of Britain, France, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania has caused confusion, as these countries are among NATO’s most active defense contributors and play an important role in deterring Russian aggression in Europe.
“We do everything that is asked of us,” an official from one excluded country told Politico. “We’re trying to understand what the criteria are and what the purpose of these meetings is. We haven’t been given much yet.”
The White House did not respond to Politico’s request for comment, while the Pentagon declined to comment.
Pentagon creates NATO core group
Colby previously described the participants as NATO members who were quickly meeting their defense spending commitments, possessing sufficient military scale and ready to focus on practical decisions.
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A diplomat from a participating country said the Bergen Group did not aim to undermine NATO. Instead, members are expected to develop proposals that can then be tested and discussed by the entire alliance.
“This can be an engine of transformation” for NATO, the diplomat said.
Denmark could become the next country invited to join following a deal allowing the United States to expand its military presence in Greenland, according to a person familiar with the matter.
However, even some invited countries question why Washington selected particular participants while excluding major European military powers.
“If they try to divide NATO between the good and the bad, it will be dangerous for the United States,” another diplomat said. “But for Europe, it’s existential.”
Trump increases pressure on his allies
The move follows repeated threats from President Donald Trump and senior administration officials to reward those they describe as “model allies” while penalizing countries that resist U.S. priorities.
Trump criticized NATO members for their defense spending and refusal to support the US war against Iran. His administration had previously considered creating what officials described as a “list of naughty and nice allies” based on their compliance with Washington’s demands, Politico reported.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also said countries supporting U.S. interests would be treated as model partners, while those that did not could face consequences.
The latest move comes despite public efforts by NATO leaders to demonstrate unity at their July summit in Ankara. Previously, the allies pledged 70 billion euros ($79 billion) in military aid to Ukraine in 2026 and vowed to maintain comparable support in 2027.
The summit also reaffirmed NATO’s commitment to collective defense and its goal that its members should devote 5% of their gross domestic product to defense and security spending by 2035.
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