Diplomatic sources said the US War Department (the Pentagon) excluded several European countries, including Britain, France and the Baltic states, from a meeting of a working group comprising NATO member states. The discussions are expected to focus on the alliance’s future.
Meeting invitations raise European concerns
The sources, cited by Politico, said representatives of several NATO member states had not received invitations to attend the meeting. The selectivity has raised concerns in diplomatic circles that US moves could lead to the alliance being reshaped entirely and affect the nature of relations between its members.
A diplomat from one of the excluded countries said it was unclear what criteria Washington had used to determine who would participate in the meetings, saying: “We are doing everything asked of us and trying to understand the criteria and objectives of these meetings, but we have not been told much so far.”
Defence spending fails to dispel fears of division
Diplomats acknowledged that the US moves had disappointed several of Washington’s European allies, particularly as many countries not invited to the meeting had effectively met the defence spending targets set by US President Donald Trump’s administration. The concerns centre on the possibility that Washington could adopt a classification distinguishing between alliance members, potentially dividing them according to how closely they align with US standards or demands.
Diplomats believe such a course could have implications for both the United States and Europe.
If Washington tries to divide NATO into good allies and bad ones, that would be dangerous for the United States itself. For Europe, however, it would represent an existential threat
