As Trump fortifies ties with Putin, the US halts some efforts to prevent Russian sabotage

As Trump and Putin become more aligned, the US has stopped some of its countermeasures against Russian meddling.

As the Trump Administration modifies policy, US national security agencies halt their efforts to combat Russian sabotage.

As the Trump administration looks to encourage Russia to end its war in Ukraine, a number of US national security agencies have halted operations to combat Russian cyberattacks, disinformation, and sabotage, relieving pressure on Moscow.

In response to US intelligence concerns that Moscow was intensifying clandestine operations against Western countries, former President Joe Biden instructed his national security team to form working groups aimed at tracking and thwarting Russia’s hybrid warfare strategy. According to seven former officials involved in the endeavor, the effort, spearheaded by the National Security Council (NSC), involves at least seven national security agencies collaborating with European allies to counter threats against the United States and Europe.

Officials from the Biden administration informed his staff about the significance of the operation prior to President Donald Trump’s inauguration and encouraged them to keep an eye on Russia’s actions. However, eleven current and former officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were confidential said that most of the work has halted since Trump took office on January 20. Several US agencies have already halted their engagement in Biden’s plan, according to Reuters, which was the first to report on its entire scale.

According to reports, formal coordination between US agencies, including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and State Department, has ceased, and meetings between the NSC and European security officials have not been planned. It’s still unclear if the president has specifically directed that these initiatives be stopped or if agencies are choosing their own priorities and personnel.

Despite intelligence warnings, several project officials voiced fears that the Trump administration is changing its priorities. The action comes after a more extensive reversal of Biden’s Russia-focused initiatives.

The FBI put employees working on the problem at the Department of Homeland Security on leave last month and halted an effort to combat foreign meddling in US elections, including that of Russia. Additionally, the Department of Justice dismantled a division that was in charge of confiscating the assets of Russian billionaires.

Current US sources said the White House has not told career officials whether it intends to re-establish the cross-agency working groups.