The United States plans to reduce security assistance to European countries bordering Russia, two informed sources said on Thursday.
The cuts are part of President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy. His administration has scaled back foreign aid and is urging European nations to shoulder a greater share of their defense costs.
The Financial Times was the first to report on the planned reduction in security assistance.
Russia’s war against Ukraine has heightened concerns in Europe about regional stability and the potential for further aggression from Moscow.
Among the main recipients of this funding are Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
The US Congress has approved funding for this assistance program—managed by the Department of Defense—but only through the end of September 2026. The Trump administration has not requested an extension of the program, one of the sources confirmed.
In response to a request for comment,
a White House official referred to an executive order Trump signed shortly after beginning his second term in January.
“On the first day of his second term, President Trump signed an executive order to review and streamline US foreign assistance,” the official said.
“This action is being coordinated with European countries in line with that executive order and the President’s long-standing emphasis on ensuring Europe takes greater responsibility for its own defense,” the official added.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the decision misguided.
“There is no logic in reducing our allies’ defense readiness at a time when we are urging them to strengthen their capabilities. It puts American troops at greater risk when we scale back training for allied soldiers who would fight alongside them,” Shaheen stated.
Read also: Migration crisis: How Europe went from Merkel’s “We can do it” to closed doors