The United States is preparing to halt military support for European states bordering Russia, several American outlets reported this week. BNS, a Lithuanian news agency, and LRT.lt, picked up on the US reports on September 5.

If confirmed, the move would be a major blow to the three Baltic states. They have long relied on the US for their security. The reports followed commitments made on September 3 by US President Donald Trump to Polish President Karol Nawrocki to keep American troops in Poland and perhaps even build up the forces.

The Washington Post cited six sources confirming the plan that would hit deployments in the Baltic states, saying it could strip hundreds of millions of dollars from programmes designed to counter Moscow. The Financial Times ran a similar report, noting that training and equipment schemes for Eastern European armies would be wound down.

“America has been trying to reduce its footprint in Europe for some time, and this is one of the ways. The fact that Nato countries have started to increase their defense spending and strengthen their armies makes America more confident. Certainly, the Baltic States do not welcome this, but it is inevitable, as China is America’s top priority. Looking ahead, US involvement in European affairs will continue to shrink,” Kestutis Girnius, a prominent Lithuanian political scientist and associate professor in the Department of Political Philosophy and History of Ideas at Vilnius University’s Institute of International Relations and Political Science (TSPMI), told bne IntelliNews.

While officials across the continent have been warned of the impending cut, Lithuania’s Defence Ministry says no official paperwork has arrived in Vilnius, BNS and LRT.lt reported on September 5.

Vaidotas Urbelis, the ministry’s Director of Policy, told reporters on September 5 that Washington had outlined its intentions in briefings but not in writing.

“Last week the Pentagon made clear that, starting from the new fiscal year, this budget line will be brought down to zero for all European countries…There is no formal letter. We only have conversations and fragments of information. The budget itself has not been passed, so final sums will only be known once Congress adopts it and the president signs. That will take months,” he said, BNS and LRT.lt reported.

The future of the Baltic Security Initiative – launched in 2020 to boost the armed forces of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – now looks uncertain. Congress earmarked $228mn for the scheme last year, but the White House did not include follow-on funding in its next spending plan.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys on September 4 welcomed remarks from US President Donald Trump suggesting Washington could bolster its military presence in Poland.

“The more links we have in the region, the more assurances of allied ties we receive here, the better it is,” Budrys told Ziniu Radijas radio, BNS and LRT.lt reported.

Around 8,000 American troops are currently based in Poland, with a further 1,000 stationed in Lithuania.