US senators urge year-end payout of Baltic security aid

Ten US senators from both parties are pressing the administration to release approved security assistance for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania by the end of the year, ERR reported. In a letter to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, they called for the funds allocated under the Baltic Security Initiative to be disbursed by then.

The senators urged the timely implementation of all funding commitments and programmes, citing increased Russian aggression against frontline allies. They welcomed a Baltic Security Initiative funding plan submitted by the Pentagon on May 29, 2026, which provides for investment in integrated defence, maritime security, irregular warfare and other capabilities. The Pentagon reportedly said in a December 15 update that the initiative had been prioritised and was in the final stages of coordination, including with the State Department.

The senators said recent airspace violations, the use of so-called grey-zone tactics and an increased nuclear threat made faster US assistance more urgent. They requested information on relevant plans by November 19, 2026.

The initiative is authorised under the US National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026, with funding provided through a separate defence appropriations bill. Congress has allocated $200 million to strengthen the defence capabilities of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, including air defence, maritime security and cyber defence.

The funding is not transferred directly to the Baltic countries’ budgets. The Pentagon uses it to support their defence capabilities, including through purchases of US-made equipment, supplies and services. The annual allocation among the three countries varies according to their capability needs.

The initiative was launched in 2020. It allocated a combined $231 million in 2025, $228 million in 2024, $225 million in 2023, $180 million in 2022 and $169 million in 2021. The US also provides security assistance through the State Department’s Foreign Military Financing programme. Estonia received $17.5 million through that programme in 2025, $16.7 million in 2024, $19.3 million in 2023, $179.5 million in 2022 and $31.2 million in 2021. The 2022 allocation was intended to buy ammunition for HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems.

Assistance through both programmes has also supported air and missile defence, communications systems, night-vision equipment, ammunition, maritime surveillance and military medical supplies.