Security for Baltic States
Trump probably wants to delete military aid for the NATO east flank
05.09.2025 – 00:09 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
Donald Trump apparently intends to delete military aid for NATO partners Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. He demands more commitment from Europe.
The United States apparently wants to delete military help to NATO, of all things. It is about funds for countries that border on Russia, there is talk of several hundred million dollars. The project is part of the foreign policy of President Donald Trump under the motto ‘America First’, according to reports from the “Financial Times” and the “Washington Post”. Both refer to sources from the Pentagon.
The US Congress has approved the financing of the aid to avert the Russian threat until the end of September 2026. They should be used for equipment and training. However, the government under Trump has not applied for an extension, as the “Financial Times” reported and what one of the people confirmed. Instead, Trump would have re-evaluated the US foreign aids. He wanted to take on European partners more. A few days ago, Trump had not ruled out more soldiers to Poland.
According to “Washington Post”, the Baltic Security Initiative should be affected by the cuts. The program started in 2018 and was expanded because Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia spend a large part of their gross domestic product for defense, but the money is not sufficient. In the summer, a committee of the US Senate had approved $ 225 million, but there is still no confirmation from the Senate.
From the USA there is already criticism of the planned changes in military aid. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the highest ranking democrat in the Senate Federal Foreign Committee, criticized the Trump government’s decision: “There is no point in undermining the willingness to defend our allies, while we ask you to improve her own skills at the same time.” American troops would be put in danger if the funds are reduced to the training of the soldiers, at the side of which they might fight.
