US President Donald Trump’s displeasure with some of his NATO allies is no secret, and he does not hesitate to voice it whenever the opportunity arises. In a fresh episode of this “difficult” relationship, which has run since the Republican returned to the US presidency, Washington has reportedly decided to leave several important allies out of a meeting of NATO member states next month. This follows earlier threats to draw up a “list of good and bad” governments, depending on how closely they align with the American president’s priorities.

The planned meeting in Poland, organised by the Pentagon’s policy chief Elbridge Colby, is essentially a working group on the future of NATO, according to six diplomats familiar with the plans who spoke to Politico. However, many of the countries that did not receive an invitation, among them the United Kingdom, France and the Baltic states, have high defence spending and play a pivotal role in the Alliance, leaving their diplomats wondering why they have been excluded.

The same diplomats question whether the US administration is pursuing a policy of selective treatment, which could open further rifts in an Alliance already facing growing Russian aggression, including acts of sabotage, and dwindling weapons stockpiles. “We are doing everything they ask of us,” said an official from a NATO member state that was not invited, adding: “We are trying to understand what the criteria are and what the purpose of these meetings is. So far, they have not told us much.”

Neither the White House nor the Pentagon has commented on the report.

Sharp criticism of NATO

Trump and senior figures in his administration have repeatedly criticised NATO since his return to power. Their complaints range from some members’ refusal to back the war against Iran to the failure of certain countries to commit 5 per cent of their GDP to defence.

“I have always regarded NATO, where we spend hundreds of billions of dollars a year protecting these same countries, as a one-way street: we will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, especially in a time of need,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post earlier this year.

Last month, the US president showed a similar attitude towards another ally, South Korea, abruptly scaling back a planned joint military exercise while criticising Seoul for refusing to take part in the war against Iran.

In April, as Politico previously revealed, the White House had drawn up a kind of “who’s in and who’s out” list, looking for ways to punish allies that did not comply with Trump’s wishes.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has adopted the same logic, encouraging a “model allies” approach and warning that those who do not support American interests will face consequences.

Although details of the new NATO working group remain unclear, the initiative follows the threat to reward some allies at the expense of others.

Colby has already held two similar meetings involving Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands.

The countries taking part in the meeting, known as the “Bergen Group” format, insist it is not intended to cause a rift in the Alliance, said a diplomat from one of them who, like the others, spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of internal consultations.

Instead, the group’s aim is to develop proposals that could then be presented to the whole Alliance for further assessment and practical testing. “This could act as an engine of transformation” for the entire Alliance, the diplomat said.

The same diplomat acknowledged that the exclusion has irritated some allies, particularly as many countries have already met or exceeded the defence spending targets set by the Trump administration.

The US may add Denmark to this smaller, more closed group, as the two countries have reached an agreement to expand the American military presence in Greenland, according to another person familiar with the plans.

Colby, who has led the initiative, held the first meeting of this kind in Bergen, Norway, in June, inviting the six allies seen as closest to the American approach. “NATO allies that are quickly delivering on the defence spending commitments agreed in The Hague have the scale to contribute and are ready to get on with the practical work,” Colby wrote on social media after the meeting.

At a conference in Washington this month, he said that “the idea is to pull the whole Alliance forward”, adding that this would produce “a better and stronger NATO, with greater resilience”, while Europe would gain greater military strength.

Colby has shown an interest in smaller-format meetings between NATO countries for years. In previous years he focused on restoring Germany to the role of a strong military power to contain Russia, as well as on deploying American troops to counter the rise of China.

However, even countries that have been invited to the meetings are asking why Colby and other defence officials chose particular participants, leaving out some of Europe’s biggest defence powers, such as Britain. “If they try to split NATO into good and bad, that is dangerous for the US,” said another of the six diplomats. “For Europe, though, it is a question of existence.”