US President Donald Trump's administration has left out several key NATO allies from a meeting scheduled to take place in Poland, where the future of the Alliance is expected to be discussed.
According to reports, the UK, France and the Baltic states have not been invited to the meeting, despite their important role in NATO and significant defense spending. The meeting is being organized at the initiative of senior Pentagon official Elbridge Colby.
The format is envisioned as a limited working group to discuss the future of NATO. Previous meetings of this format have included Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands. Diplomats from the countries left out have sought clarification on the selection criteria.
The decision has raised concerns among some diplomats that Washington may be favoring a particular group of allies, adding to tensions within NATO at a time when the Alliance faces significant security challenges.
According to reports, the White House has not commented on the matter, while the Pentagon has refused to provide clarification on the reasons for the exclusion of some of the allies from the meeting.
