The US will reduce aid funds to countries bordering Russia.

US President Donald Trump makes no secret of his intention to have European countries themselves fund the bulk of their defense budgets in the not-too-distant future.

Therefore, in addition to requiring NATO members to allocate 5% of their GDP to military spending by 2035, his administration plans to phase out security assistance programs for European militaries along the border with Russia, the Financial Times reported Thursday.

According to the British newspaper, citing sources familiar with the matter, Pentagon officials informed European diplomats last week that the US will no longer fund military training and equipment programs in Eastern European countries, which would be on the front lines of a potential conflict with Russia.

According to sources cited by FT, this gradual withdrawal of support is part of the Trump administration's intention to "reevaluate" US foreign aid , a decision the US president had already outlined in an executive order issued on his first day in office.

The Pentagon's Section 333 funding cut would affect a program with a global budget of about $1 billion , which would mean cutting hundreds of millions in security aid to European countries bordering Russia.

The Pentagon has not yet informed lawmakers of the exact amount that will be phased out, according to FT.

Under this program, the United States allocated around $1.6 billion to Europe between 2018 and 2022, roughly 29% of global Section 333 spending, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Among the main recipients are the Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, some of the most exposed to the Russian threat. The decision reportedly caught European governments by surprise, and they are now reportedly seeking explanations from Washington.