Reuters reports that in late August, Pentagon officials met with European diplomats to deliver a blunt message: the United States plans to scale back certain security assistance to Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia — all NATO members bordering Russia. Pentagon official David Baker reportedly told the group that Europe must become less dependent on Washington under President Donald J. Trump, noting that U.S. military priorities are shifting toward homeland defense.

Since that meeting, Russia has stepped up incursions into NATO airspace, facing only muted reactions from Washington and the White House. These provocations have included nearly two dozen one-way attack drones that struck Poland last week, yesterday’s violation of Estonian airspace by Russian MiG-31s over the Gulf of Finland, and Russian fighter jets harassing Polish oil platforms in the Baltic Sea.