# US Excludes France UK Baltics From NATO Meeting

> US meeting in Poland without France, UK, and Baltics risks NATO division.
- Title: US Excludes France UK Baltics From NATO Meeting · euronews
- Summary: US meeting in Poland without France, UK, and Baltics risks NATO division. US excludes France, UK, and Baltic states from NATO meeting, raising fears of…
- Keywords: nato, poland, baltic states, nato 3.0, defence spending, nato meeting, news, world, politics, Excludes, France, Baltics
- Source: euronews — https://euronews.com/2026/10/05/us-meeting-in-poland-excluding-france-uk-baltic-risks-dividing-nato
- Author: Shona Murray
- Published: 2026-10-05T15:33:45+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: us, nato, poland, baltic states, nato 3.0, defence spending, nato meeting, news, world, politics
## NATO Meeting Format
US Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby met with Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands in a group called the Bergen Group.
## Excluded Nations
The UK, France, and Baltic states were not invited to the meeting, despite their critical roles in nato security.
## Bergen Group Purpose
The group discusses nato’s future under so-called nato 3.0, where europe takes lead in conventional defense.
## US Defense Shift
The us is scaling back its traditional role, withdrawing bombers, submarines, and personnel from nato.
## Expert Concerns
Geopolitical consultant Fabrice Pothier warns the format risks dividing nato into 'good versus bad' categories.

> the bottom line is this is very toxic for an alliance that relies of collective play
## Baltic Exclusion
Baltic states face repeated russian hybrid attacks and are excluded despite high defense spending.
## Baltic Response
Lithuania invited us defense official to witness drone intrusions, warning of harsh consequences for russian actions.

> we say what we see
## Key takeaway

US excludes France, UK, and Baltic states from NATO meeting, raising fears of alliance fragmentation as Washington pushes Europe to take greater defense responsibility.