Trump Administration Halts Key Efforts Against Russias Hybrid Warfare, Raising Concerns Among Allies

The Trump administration discontinued a multiagency initiative designed to monitor and counteract Russia’s hybrid warfare strategy against the West, which had been established during former President Joe Biden’s tenure, according to Reuters on Wednesday, citing current and former officials.

Western intelligence and national security representatives allege that Russian intelligence services have engaged in a covert campaign aimed at undermining U.S.-led support for Ukraine since Moscow’s large-scale invasion in 2022. This campaign reportedly encompasses arson incidents, attempts at assassination, interference in elections, damage to undersea cables, and schemes to set off incendiary devices on aircraft.

In 2024, Biden directed at least seven U.S. national security agencies, under the leadership of the National Security Council, to collaborate with European partners to counter Russian sabotage, disinformation, and cyber threats.

Officials from the Trump administration reportedly disregarded warnings to maintain the monitoring initiative despite intelligence assessments indicating that Russia was ramping up its operations. According to Reuters, “much of the work has come to a standstill” since Trump assumed office in January.

It is still unclear whether Trump directly ordered the halt or if the decision was made by the relevant agencies on their own. The degree of U.S. intelligence collaboration with European allies remains ambiguous as well.

Officials from the U.K. informed Reuters that regular exchanges are ongoing, while a spokesperson for the EU stated that the union is coordinating with NATO to address hybrid threats.

The Kremlin has dismissed Western claims of Russian sabotage as «baseless and fleeting,» commending Trump for eliminating «ineffective, corrupt, and implausible» initiatives, according to Reuters.

Since his inauguration, Trump has deviated from Western strategies aimed at isolating Russian President Vladimir Putin, maintaining direct communications with the Kremlin and publicly confronting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He has positioned the resolution of the Ukraine conflict as a central promise of his electoral campaign, attributing the prolonged nature of the war to Biden’s policies.