РУССКИЙ
9:55 09.10.2026 •
Some NATO allies are resisting a U.S. effort to set up a close-knit group of alliance countries ostensibly based on their defense spending, arguing the initiative risks undermining unity just when Russia steps up its hybrid campaign in Europe, POLITICO writes.
The frustration comes after press reports that Washington had met a select group of favored allies twice since the spring in what has been dubbed the “Bergen Group,” after the collective’s first meeting in the eponymous Norwegian city earlier this year.
So far, the group’s members have included Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany and the Netherlands. After meeting in Bergen, the U.S. organized a similar meeting on the sidelines of the NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara in July, which Denmark and Turkey also attended. Members of the group are expected to meet again in Poland next month.
That’s riling some of NATO's excluded members — a broad group that includes nuclear-armed U.K. and France and countries like the three Baltic nations, which are among the alliance’s highest defense spenders.
The scheme risks dividing allies and hampering alliance unity, according to three NATO diplomats and two European defense officials, all of whom were granted anonymity to speak freely on the sensitive issue.
The move reflects a broader pattern of U.S. pressure aimed at forcing allies to align with its foreign policy goals and spend more on defense under President Donald Trump. Washington has indirectly tied spending levels to U.S. troop presence in Europe and formulated something akin to a “naughty and nice list” of allies after some refused to back the Iran war.
Still, “if I was from the Baltics, I admit it’s all a bit sour,” the diplomat added. “And not comforting for countries in the front line.”
Trump weighs consequences for NATO allies on ‘naughty’ list
The White House has developed something akin to a “naughty and nice” list of NATO countries, as the Trump administration looks for ways to punish allies who refused to back the Iran war, POLITICO continues.
The effort, which officials worked on ahead of NATO head Mark Rutte’s visit to Washington this month, includes an overview of members’ contributions to the alliance and places them into tiers, according to three European diplomats and a U.S. defense official familiar with the plan.
It’s the latest sign that President Donald Trump plans to make good on his threats against allies who don’t adhere to his wishes. And it’s another pressure point on the increasingly frayed alliance, which has been battered by Trump’s attacks — from his push to annex Greenland to his warning of a complete withdrawal from the pact.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth floated the broad idea in December. “Model allies that step up, like Israel, South Korea, Poland, increasingly Germany, the Baltics and others, will receive our special favor,” he said. “Allies that still fail to do their part for collective defense will face consequences.”
One of the diplomats said the list appeared to reflect that concept. “The White House has a naughty and nice paper so I guess the thinking is similar,” the person said.
The White House made its frustration with allies clear. “While the United States has always been there for our so-called allies, countries we protect with thousands of troops have not been there for us throughout Operation Epic Fury,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly, referring to the Pentagon’s name for the operation. “President Trump has made his thoughts on this unfair dynamic clear, and as he said, the United States will remember.”
It’s not clear which countries fit into which category or if Rutte knows about the effort. But the Romanians and Poles could end up being some of the biggest beneficiaries, since both remain in the president’s good graces and would welcome more U.S. troops. The Polish government, which is one of NATO biggest defense spenders, already pays almost all of the costs to host the 10,000 American troops stationed there. And Romania’s recently expanded Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base — which the country allowed the U.S. to use for the air war in Iran — has room for more American troops.
Hegseth initially used the model ally rhetoric to refer to NATO partners who had increased defense spending in line with the alliance’s 5 percent targets championed by Trump. Officials also referenced it in the National Defense Strategy released in January.
The Defense Department “will prioritize cooperation and engagements with model allies who are doing their part for our collective defense,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “In doing so, we will empower those allies as they step up in the defense of our shared interests while also strengthening incentives for other allies to do their part.”
The concept could give the U.S. options to pull back troop deployments, joint exercises, or military sales from perceived “bad” allies and give them to “good” ones, according to two of the European officials familiar with the plan. Hegseth has also used the term “model ally” in meetings with NATO members, according to the third diplomat.
While Spain and allies such as the U.K. and France either rejected or stalled U.S. requests for help, Romania and several smaller nations allowed the U.S. to use their air bases. Bulgaria also quietly supported American logistics in the Middle East.
Spain was already in trouble with the Trump administration for pushing back on NATO’s 5 percent defense spending target at the alliance’s Hague summit last year. Officials, though, have praised Baltic nations such as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland for consistently ranking at the top of the bloc in military spending.
“President Trump has rightly made clear that he expects allies and partners to step up and help secure this vital waterway in the Middle East,” Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby told NATO allies this month during a virtual meeting of defense ministers that Hegseth declined to attend.
But there is little precedent for taking such steps to punish allies.
read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs
