Talks between US Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby and five European countries have raised concerns among NATO experts who warn the format risks dividing the alliance as Washington presses Europe to take greater responsibility for its own defence.
Known as the Bergen Group after its inaugural meeting in Norway last year, the format brings together Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands.
The UK, France and the Baltic states were not invited.
“The bottom line is this is very toxic for an alliance that relies of collective play,” said Fabrice Pothier, CEO of geopolitical consultancy, Rasmussen Global.
“Clearly this is about the US having favourites,” he told Euronews.
The group was established to discuss NATO’s future as the alliance shifts towards so-called NATO 3.0: a US invented model in which Europe takes the lead the conventional defence of the continent.
It also involves the US scaling back its traditional role, and withdrawing key capabilities including bombers, submarines and personnel it makes available to the alliance.
Meanwhile, NATO is playing down the significance of the separate, US-led subgroup.
“It’s not unusual for groups of Allies to meet in smaller formats,” a NATO official told Euronews.
NATO 3.0 involves the US withdrawing from its traditional role as the leading defence provider in Europe, pulling capabilities such as bombers, submarines and personnel available to the alliance.
While officials dismiss the talks as routine, others argue the arrangement will split members into “good European versus bad European” categories while reinforcing Washington’s influence across the alliance.
Pothier acknowledged that smaller groups can advance new ideas within organisations, such as the publication of ‘non-papers’, but he argued that Washington had selected the Bergen countries as they fulfil important defence criteria.
“Initiatives, often come from smaller groups,” he said.
“These countries bring a certain desired mass – ground, air and maritime,” said Pothier.
“But why is the US picking some rather than others when this is not a policy exercise?” he said.
Pothier, who is former director of policy planning said the separation of the parts of alliance into subgroups creates concern that the US might be more inclined to defend one ally over another.
“You introduce the notion that the US favours some allies and would be likely to defend those allies ahead of the rest,” said Pothier.
He suggested US President Donald Trump’s “grudge” over the UK and France’s initial refusal to join the war in Iran, along with France’s push to buy European military equipment, could explain their exclusion.
UK diplomats, however, rejected the suggestion that Britain was being sidelined, saying they remained in regular contact with their US counterparts.
Baltic exclusion
The Baltic states’ absence is particularly striking. They are among NATO’s biggest defence spenders as a share of GDP and sit on the alliance’s frontline with Russia. The region has faced repeated hybrid attacks, including drone incursions, arson and sabotage.
Their exclusion follows Colby’s visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels in August, when, according to NATO sources, he urged Baltic officials to adopt a less confrontational tone towards Russian aggression.
One source said Colby cited renewed US efforts to end the war in Ukraine as a reason to tone down talk of being at “war” with Russia.
Washington has also invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the G20 summit in Miami in December, at a golf resort owned by Trump.
“It’s probably the first time since NATO enlargement that there’s a split between the US and Baltics,” said Pothier.
“We know that this US administration is far less fazed by Russian aggression,” he said.
The situation for the Baltics remains tense due to the ongoing drone and other shadow war hostilities. Government, military and civilian populations are on constant alert.
On Saturday, Vilnius airport was forced to shut down for around an hour, prompting the deployment of two NATO jets in response to a suspected drone intrusion from Belarus.
Lithuania invites Colby
A source confirmed to Euronews that the Lithuanian government has invited Colby to visit the region to witness the ongoing airspace violations first-hand.
“We say what we see,” a Baltic diplomat told Euronews defending their forward military posture. The diplomat added that Moscow must understand the cost of its shadow war to be “harsh.”
EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, a former Lithuanian prime minister, also called for a stronger response at the Euronews Defence and Space Summit last week.
“If we are hit by Russian hybrid attacks, our answers should be as painful as that attack,” Kubilius said.
Meanwhile, a Washington-based source told Euronews that the exclusive meeting appears to be “mischief-making” on the part of the US, warning that it actively divides the alliance.
French officials had no response time of publication.