UK, France and Baltic states excluded from Pentagon-led NATO talks

Britain, France, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have not been invited despite playing major roles in NATO and spending heavily on defence.Colby has previously held two meetings in the same smaller format with the invited countries.The reported exclusions have raised concerns among some diplomats about divisions within NATO.“If they try splitting Nato into the good ones and the bad ones, it is dangerous for the US.

But for Europe, this is existential,” one diplomat told Politico, according to The Guardian.A diplomat from an invited country told Politico the smaller group was not intended to divide NATO, but to develop proposals that could later be considered by the full alliance.

UK, France and Baltic states excluded from Pentagon-led NATO talks October 2, 2026.