The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is reallocating tens of millions of dollars in military assistance originally designated for several countries in Europe and the Middle East, redirecting the funds toward countries in Central and South America.
The U.S. State Department notified Congress on Tuesday that it would reallocate $52 million in foreign military financing that had initially been allocated to Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq.
According to the Associated Press, the funds will instead be transferred to Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
The reallocation comes after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Colombia, Ecuador and Peru last week, where he pledged additional support for the three countries.
The move is among the latest steps by the Trump administration to reduce funding or adjust the deployment of U.S. forces in Europe, at a time when President Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO allies over defense spending and other issues.
North Macedonia and Slovakia are both NATO members.
However, the reallocation of the $52 million does not mean that U.S. military financing for Tunisia, Iraq, North Macedonia or Slovakia is being completely discontinued. The exact amount of funding that will remain available for the four countries has not been disclosed.
