US President Donald Trump's administration is reorganizing military aid funds for several European and Middle Eastern countries, directing them towards Central and South American countries, in another signal of Washington's changing foreign policy priorities.
The State Department has notified Congress of a $52 million reallocation from the U.S. military funding program for foreign countries. According to the Associated Press, the funds were originally planned for Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq, but will now be transferred to Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
The decision comes days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited several Latin American countries, where he pledged to expand US cooperation on security and the fight against drug trafficking. In Ecuador, Rubio also announced that the Trump administration will ask Congress for $45 million in additional security funding, as Washington deepens cooperation with governments in the region.
The reallocation of $52 million is seen as part of a broader overhaul of the Trump administration's security policy, which is placing greater emphasis on the Western Hemisphere, particularly the fight against drug cartels, migration and security around the Panama Canal. According to the AP, the administration is also seeking to strengthen American influence in the region and curb China's influence.
Among the countries affected by this reallocation are Slovakia and North Macedonia, both NATO members. However, the decision does not mean a complete cessation of US military aid to these two countries, Tunisia or Iraq. The exact amount that will remain for each of them after the reallocation has not yet been made public.
The move comes at a time when Trump has repeatedly demanded that European allies increase their defense spending, while his administration is increasingly orienting American security policy towards Latin America.
In this context, the strengthening of military relations with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama demonstrates a new priority for Washington in the Western Hemisphere, especially in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime.
