US excludes UK, France and Baltic states from US-initiated NATO meeting in Poland
The Trump administration has not invited several major NATO allies — including the United Kingdom, France and the Baltic states — to a working-group meeting on the future of NATO scheduled for next month. The meeting was initiated by US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby and follows two earlier Bergen Group sessions with a narrower set of European partners.
Key points
- The Poland meeting was initiated by US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby.
- The UK, France, and the Baltic states are among NATO allies not invited.
- Six diplomats told Politico the gathering is effectively a working group focused on the future of NATO.
- Colby previously convened two similar meetings with Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands, dubbed the Bergen Group format; the first was held in Bergen, Norway in June.
- The US may invite Denmark following a recent US–Denmark agreement on expanding the American military presence in Greenland.
- Many non-invited allies have met or exceeded the defense spending benchmarks the Trump administration has demanded.
- US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has endorsed a 'model allies' concept, warning of costs for countries that do not support US interests.
Why it matters
The exclusion of major European allies from a US-led NATO working group raises questions about cohesion within the Alliance at a time of continued Russian pressure on Europe. The grouping reflects a shift in US policy toward sorting allies into 'obedient' and 'disobedient' camps, with potential consequences for defense cooperation and burden-sharing debates. Several of the omitted countries have already met or exceeded the defense spending benchmarks Washington demanded, complicating the rationale for their exclusion.
What happened
The Trump administration did not invite several key NATO allies — among them the United Kingdom, France and the Baltic states — to a meeting scheduled for next month in Poland. According to six diplomats cited by the publication, the gathering is effectively a working group focused on the future of NATO. It was initiated by US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby. Colby previously held two similar meetings with Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands, known as the Bergen Group format; the first took place in Bergen, Norway in June. The United States may also invite Denmark, following a recent US–Denmark agreement on expanding the American military presence in Greenland. Participants in the earlier format say its goal is to develop ideas to be presented to the Alliance for consideration rather than to split NATO. Many of the non-invited allies have nonetheless met or exceeded the defense spending targets the Trump administration has demanded. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has supported the 'model allies' concept and warned of consequences for countries that do not back US interests.
How international sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets ZN.UA and LIGA.net republished the Politico scoop, highlighting the omission of traditional European allies — the UK, France, the Baltic states and other EU partners — and the working-group format of the gathering. The coverage frames the story primarily as a transatlantic, NATO-internal controversy centered on institutional dynamics within the Alliance, with the Ukraine-specific angle left to the background context rather than foregrounded.
Background
The Bergen Group format emerged earlier this year: Colby convened two meetings with Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands, the first held in Bergen, Norway in June. The Poland meeting is the next iteration of this format. Colby has publicly framed the group's goal as unifying NATO and making it 'better, stronger and more resilient,' and participants say it is intended to feed ideas into NATO rather than split the Alliance. In April, the White House reportedly drew up an 'obedient/disobedient' allies list exploring ways to penalize countries that did not follow President Trump's wishes; Hegseth has endorsed a related 'model allies' concept. Trump last month abruptly scaled back planned joint US–South Korea military exercises, citing Seoul's refusal to join a war against Iran. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on September 29 that the Alliance is considering various options, including non-public ones, to respond to Russian hybrid attacks.