The US is dramatically phasing out crucial security assistance programmes for European armies stationed along Russia’s menacing border, as Donald Trump aggressively pushes the continent to cough up for more of its own defence.
The US is dramatically scaling back critical security assistance programmes for European forces deployed along Russia’s threatening frontier, as Donald Trump forcefully demands the continent pay more towards its own protection.
Pentagon chiefs last week delivered the shocking announcement to bewildered European diplomats that America would cease funding essential programmes that train and equip militaries in eastern European nations that would bear the brunt of any catastrophic clash with Russia, sources familiar with the bombshell development told the Financial Times.
Expenditure for the Pentagon initiative, which operates under an authority called section 333, requires approval from the US Congress, but the Trump administration has deliberately declined to seek additional funding. The revelation emerges as World War 3 fears hit Europe as warnings issued ahead of Russian military moves.
Resources already authorised will stay accessible until the end of September 2026, reports the Express.
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A White House spokesperson said the contentious decision matched President Donald Trump’s determined push to “re-evaluate and realign” foreign aid, and aligned with a comprehensive executive order he signed on his inaugural day in office.
“This action has been co-ordinated with European countries in line with the executive order and the president’s long-standing emphasis on ensuring Europe takes more responsibility for its own defence,” the official declared. Under the immense pressure from Trump, US Nato allies in June caved in and agreed to dramatically ramp up their defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP.
Billions at risk for vulnerable nations
The potential winding down of section 333 funding could wreak havoc on a programme with an astonishing global budget of over $1bn, according to estimates from Senate aides. This could potentially cut hundreds of millions of dollars that the US sends to the vulnerable Russian border countries.
The Pentagon has declined to disclose to lawmakers the exact amount that will be harshly phased out.
Between 2018-2022, the programme allocated a whopping $1.6bn in Europe, which is roughly 29 per cent of the global 333 spending, as per the US Government Accountability Office. Key beneficiaries include Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Officials from numerous European embassies in Washington, including those from countries that do not receive the aid, attended a tense meeting where Pentagon officials announced the devastating cuts.
The shocking move seemed designed to encourage wealthier European countries to foot more of the bill for the frontline states’ crucial security assistance, one European official disclosed.
Europe left scrambling for answers
European governments were left stunned by the harsh announcement and are frantically trying to obtain further details from Washington, according to two diplomats briefed on the heated discussions.
European officials are in a state of panic, trying to determine whether domestic funding can plug the dangerous gaps, or if the drastic cuts will have a disastrous impact on crucial aspects of European security.
“If they are being brutal then it will have big implications,” one diplomat warned, noting that Nato would certainly be impacted as some of the funding was channelled through the alliance.
“It’s causing a lot of concern and uncertainty,” another diplomat admitted, likening it to Trump’s previous decision to drastically reduce US international aid.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the leading Democrat on the Senate’s foreign relations committee, slammed the cuts as a “misguided move that sends exactly the wrong signal as we try to force Putin to the negotiating table and deter Russian aggression”.
Key programmes under threat
The US’s separate Foreign Military Financing programme, which provides funding to countries to purchase major items such as fighter jets, ships and tanks, is not affected by the most recent decision, according to an individual familiar with the situation.
These cuts come at a time when Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby is attempting to redirect US defence resources to the Indo-Pacific to enhance deterrence and decrease the likelihood of a conflict with China over Taiwan.
Earlier this year, Washington abruptly halted shipments of munitions and several high-value weapons intended for Ukraine after Colby initiated a review that raised concerns about the US’s own stockpiles. Trump later ordered that the deliveries be resumed.
The future of the Baltic Security Initiative, a separate programme created in 2020 to boost the armed forces of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, is also under serious threat. Last year, Congress approved $288mn to support the initiative.
The White House has not sought further funding for the programme in next year’s budget. A person familiar with the matter told the Financial Times the programme was being re-evaluated by the administration.
Baltic states face tough reality
The loss of US security assistance would be “very tough” for the Baltic states, said retired US admiral Mark Montgomery, now a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies think-tank. “The whole idea here is making them capable of defending themselves.”
All three states share land borders with Russia, and the region has been subject to attacks attributed to Moscow, including on critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, cyber attacks and sabotage.
The administration is carrying out a review of its troop deployments worldwide and has said it intends to reduce its presence in Europe.
Trump met Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki at the White House on Wednesday and said he had no plans to withdraw troops from the country. The US currently has approximately 10,000 personnel deployed in Poland on a rotational basis, with Trump expressing that he was “very happy” with the arrangement.
“We’ll put more there if they want,” he added.