Summary
- The US will phase out security aid for European countries near Russia.
- The move urges Europe to increase its own defense spending and capabilities.
- Includes ending training and equipping programs along the Russian border.
- Shift aligns with the Trump administration’s push for Europe to pay more.
This proposal falls under President Donald Trump's "America First" foreign policy, which has led his administration to cut foreign aid and press European governments to pay a bigger share of their own military spending.
The Financial Times broke the story. The perception of increasing threat from Russia (and the degree of instability in the region) has been augmented by Russia's war with Ukraine. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are the largest winners of the funding.
Funding for the aid plan, which is known as the European Deterrence Initiative and is administered by the Department of Defense, has been appropriated by the US Congress until Sept. 30, 2026.
The Financial Times report, which one of the individuals verified, claims that Trump's government has not requested an extension of the program.
Asked for comment, a White House official referred to an order Trump signed shortly after beginning his second term in January.
“On day one of his second term, President Trump signed an Executive Order to reevaluate and realign United States foreign aid,”
the official said.
“This action has been coordinated with European countries in line with the Executive Order and the President’s longstanding emphasis on ensuring Europe takes more responsibility for its own defense,” the official said.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the decision misguided.
“It makes no sense at all to undercut our allies’ defense readiness at the same time that we’re asking them to step up their own capabilities, and it puts American troops at risk when we slash the training of the allied soldiers they would fight alongside,”
she said in a statement.
How will this phase-out affect NATO interoperability with US troops?
U.S. funded security assistance programs promote interoperability by providing access to joint training, standardized procedures, and acceptable equipment for the benefit of U.S. and European forces. Decreased funding will result in lost opportunities, reduced familiarity and trust built through previous engagement, and a potential giving up of that commitment to their fellow alliance partner.
Interoperability includes aligning hardware compatibility, communication systems, tactics, and operations. The U.S. withdrawal and reduction of funding leaves open a gap in maintaining those established standards that are essential for operational effectiveness and efficient multinational coalition operations.
Interoperability applies not only to hardware but also to relationships developed through personnel exchanges and coalition exercises.