Washington, Brussels: Pentagon officials privately told European diplomats in late August that the United States plans to scale back security assistance to the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, all NATO members bordering Russia.
According to officials briefed on the meeting, Pentagon representative David Baker urged Europe to become less reliant on Washington, stressing that under President Donald Trump, the U.S. military would shift its focus toward homeland defense and other priorities.
The warning has unsettled European allies, who fear the move could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin. Those concerns appeared to gain weight on Friday when Estonia reported Russian MiG‑31 jets violated its airspace for nearly 10 minutes before being intercepted by Italian F‑35s. Moscow denied the incursion, insisting its aircraft flew over neutral waters.
Hours later, Poland said Russian jets buzzed a Polish oil platform, following last week’s incident in which Polish forces downed Russian drones. The U.S. response has so far been muted. Trump waited several hours before commenting on the Estonian incident, later warning it could be “big trouble.” After the earlier Polish drone episode, he posted cryptically on Truth Social: “Here we go!”
Analysts say the reactions reflect an emerging pattern. After months of proposing solutions to global conflicts, Trump has pulled back from direct diplomacy, pressing allies to take the lead while offering only distant assurances of U.S. support. In recent weeks, his attention has shifted toward domestic priorities, including crime, immigration, and what he describes as violent left‑wing extremism.
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