The US did not invite France, Britain, and the Baltic states to NATO talks in Poland

The Bergen Group — an informal negotiating format on the future of NATO led by US Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby — will hold a meeting in Poland in October.

The group includes Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands, while the United Kingdom, France, and the three Baltic states were not invited.

The group takes its name from the location of its first meeting — Bergen, Norway. It was created to discuss what American officials call “NATO 3.0,” a model developed in Washington. Under this model, Europe would lead the conventional defense of the continent while the United States withdraws the forces and assets it currently provides to the alliance, including bombers, submarines, and personnel.

The group is not an official NATO body and has not yet announced any decisions. According to available information, its proposals will later be presented to all allies. The Pentagon declined to comment to Politico, and the White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Analysts warn that such a format could split the alliance at a moment when Washington wants Europe to take on a greater share of its own conventional defense. Fabrice Pothier, head of the consulting firm Rasmussen Global, gave his assessment in an interview with Euronews:

“Ultimately, this is extremely damaging for an alliance that is built on collective action. It is obvious that this is about the US having favorites,” Pothier said.

According to him, the selected countries provide “a certain desired capability — on land, in the air, and at sea.” Pothier warned that such a format signals that the US “would rather defend these allies first, and not the others.” He also noted that Britain and France may have been left out due to President Donald Trump’s “resentment” over their initial refusal to join the war against Iran, as well as France’s drive to procure European-made weapons.

NATO is downplaying the significance of these talks. “It is not uncommon for groups of allies to meet in smaller formats,” an alliance spokesperson told Euronews. British diplomats rejected the suggestion that London is being sidelined, saying they are in regular contact with their American counterparts.

The absence of the Baltic states has attracted the most attention. By share of defense spending as a percentage of GDP, they rank among NATO’s top contributors. A source from one of the excluded countries told Politico: “We are doing everything we were asked to do.” According to NATO sources cited by Euronews, in August Colby urged Baltic officials to soften their tone toward Russia, citing renewed US efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Tensions in the region remain high. On Saturday, October 3, Vilnius Airport closed for approximately one hour over suspicions that a drone had entered from the direction of Belarus; two NATO aircraft were scrambled in response. Lithuania invited Colby to see the airspace violations for himself. In addition, Washington invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in December, which will be held at a Trump-owned golf resort in Miami.

“This is probably the first time since NATO’s enlargement that a rift has emerged between the US and the Baltic states,” Pothier concluded.