Washington, Sep 6 (AP) Confusion emerged on Friday over Trump administration's plans to halt some security assistance funding to European countries along the border with Russia, with some Baltic defence leaders saying they have not received any official notification.

Pentagon funding for programmes that provide training and equipment to reinforce security would be cut, according to a person familiar with the discussions and a congressional aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter.

It wasn't clear exactly how much money would be affected, though it could be hundreds of millions of dollars.

It includes funding under Section 333 and the Baltic Security Initiative, which helps finance weapons purchases by countries on NATO's eastern flank — including of US systems — as well as ammunition, special forces training and intelligence support.

A White House official, who was not authorised to speak publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity, said the action has been coordinated with European countries and is part of President Donald Trump's plan to ensure “Europe takes more responsibility for its own defence".

The Trump administration has pushed NATO countries to step up their defence spending and slashed foreign assistance across the board.

As Trump remakes the American approach to foreign policy, allies have tried to decipher often murky proposals, from tariffs to troop numbers.

It was not clear whether US lawmakers would approve of some of the reductions, which were inconsistent with the Pentagon's most recent allocations notified to Congress, the congressional aide said.

Baltic countries express confusion and concern Former Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said any cuts to American military support to the Baltic states — part of NATO's border with Russia — would “only weaken the credibility of NATO's attempts at deterrence” as Moscow's war in Ukraine drags on.

Vaidotas Urbelis, Lithuania's defense ministry policy director, said there had been “discussions and certain indications” from the US but that the country had received no official information about any reduction in support and was talking to the Pentagon about “which programmes will be continued and which may be postponed".

Latvia's defence ministry also said it had not received any “official notification of concrete decisions” and said it would continue discussions on reaffirming the importance of the support.

The Estonian defence ministry said in a statement that it was clear the “current administration's direction is to significantly cut foreign aid", but added that US assistance increasingly makes up a smaller proportion of the country's defense budget because Estonia has ramped up its own spending.

The three Baltic states — as well as Poland — are the NATO countries that spend the most on defence, promising to spend 5 per cent of gross domestic product from 2026.

Members of Congress also in the dark Congressional offices also were waiting on Friday for details on what programmes would be cut under the Pentagon's proposal, but lawmakers from both political parties who have been supportive of US support to the region were alarmed.

Rep Don Bacon, a Republican who is retiring next year, said on social media that it would be “a disastrous and shameful decision".

“This administration continues to be WEAK towards Putin and a WEAK leader of the Free World,” he added.

“This will read as an ugly chapter in U.S. history if the President does not reverse course.” Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement that “this is a misguided move that sends exactly the wrong signal as we try to force Putin to the negotiating table and deter Russian aggression".

Senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, joined with Senator Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, to propose that Congress' annual defence authorisation bill include language to codify the Baltic Security Initiative, which established military cooperation between the US, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The Pentagon said it has reviewed foreign assistance programs under Trump's orders and that he has been "unequivocal in asserting that allies and partners must assume greater responsibility for funding their own security'.

The plans to cut the security funds were first reported by the Financial Times.

Where the funding goes That initiative allocated about USD 377 million from 2018 to 2024, Estonia's defence ministry said. It helped fund Estonia's purchase of critical capabilities, including US-made HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems.

Also affected is Section 333 funding from the Defence Department, which totalled nearly USD 1.6 billion to Europe from 2018 to 2022, according to the Government Accountability Office.

However, State Department funding to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia is unaffected as of yet. It provides roughly USD 7 billion a year in military assistance to the Baltic states, almost USD 6 billion of which is foreign military financing used by those countries to purchase US-made munitions and other materiel, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The Estonian defence ministry suggested that funding cuts would still have to be approved by Congress. (AP) ARI