Politico: U.S. did not invite several key allies to NATO meeting

The administration of US President Donald Trump did not invite several countries, including some key allies, to the meeting of NATO members, Politico reported, citing sources. The meeting will take place in October in Poland. According to the publication, invitations were not received by the UK, France, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The White House and Pentagon have not commented on this information.

According to Politico, the meeting is organized by the deputy head of the Pentagon for political affairs Elbridge Colby. It will become a working group to discuss the future of NATO. The publication notes that diplomats from countries that were not sent invitations, “question whether the administration (US. — Kommersant) highlights favorites, which could further split the alliance, already experiencing difficulties.” In their view, the criteria by which someone is invited or not, and the purpose of these discussions, are unclear.

Earlier, Elbridge Colby held two meetings within the framework of NATO, to which he invited only representatives of Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland and Germany. U.S. President Donald Trump has also repeatedly criticized European NATO allies for insufficient defense spending and threatened to withdraw from the alliance.

Jana Christmas