Pentagon Excludes UK, France and the Baltic States From a NATO Planning Meeting

Politico reported October 1, 2026, citing six diplomats, that the Trump administration plans to exclude the United Kingdom, France and the Baltic states from a NATO "Bergen Group" working session in Poland next month, organized by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby to develop proposals on the alliance's future. The informal format previously met in Norway with six invited allies. Neither the White House nor the Pentagon commented on the reported exclusions when asked.

Diplomats linked the move to Trump's criticism of allies who declined to back the Iran war or have not met a 5% defense-spending target; one diplomat warned that dividing NATO into "good and bad" allies could prove dangerous for the alliance's cohesion. No formal U.S. confirmation of the invitee list has been published.