As Trump refocuses on Asia, Pentagon's Ukraine office risks being sidelined

The Pentagon is considering downgrading a key policy office that has played a central role in coordinating the US military response to Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to three former US defence officials and two European officials familiar with internal discussions, who were quoted by Defense News in its latest material.

As part of a broader reorganisation of the Department of Defence’s policy structure, the office currently responsible for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia affairs could be absorbed into a separate office overseeing Europe and NATO, the sources said. While the move would not necessarily eliminate jobs or halt the office’s work, it would significantly reduce its stature within the Pentagon’s policy hierarchy.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russia-Ukraine-Eurasia office has been a driving force in shaping Washington’s military and strategic approach to the conflict. It has also managed large-scale security assistance efforts to Kyiv.

Laura Cooper, who led the office until her departure in December, played a key role in organizing and leading a coalition of 50 nations that has met 27 times to coordinate more than $130 billion in military aid to Ukraine. Roughly half of that assistance has come from the United States.

Cooper’s successor, a career civil servant, is currently leading the office in an acting capacity. A spokesperson for the Defense Department declined to confirm whether a reorganization is imminent or to comment on whether the structure of the office or its personnel would be affected. The office reports to the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs — a position still without a confirmed leader. Daniel Zimmerman, President Trump’s nominee for the role, is currently awaiting a Senate vote.

While multiple officials emphasized that the proposal is still under discussion and has not been finalized, several sources interpreted it as indicative of the Trump administration’s broader shift in defense priorities, particularly its reduced emphasis on Ukraine.

Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s top policy official, has consistently argued that the United States should scale back military aid to Ukraine in favor of redirecting resources toward countering Chinese influence and deterring potential aggression against Taiwan.

During a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels in February, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reinforced that view, stating: “Leaders of our European allies should take primary responsibility for defense of the continent.” He explicitly included Ukraine in that calculus.

Two former US officials expressed concern that merging the two offices could overwhelm the new Europe and NATO office head, David Baker, who is already facing growing demands from allied countries seeking clarity about Washington’s future posture ahead of the NATO summit in June.

“It will be very hard for a single DASD to handle that many important [and] high maintenance countries,” one former US defense official noted, using the acronym for Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense.

Meanwhile, despite a brief pause in March, the US continues to share intelligence with Ukraine and deliver military aid already approved under previous authorizations. However, Congress has yet to pass new funding for Ukraine, and the Pentagon has not requested additional appropriations.

While the Defense Department retains roughly $4 billion in authority to ship arms to Ukraine through the Presidential Drawdown mechanism, it currently has no funds left to replenish its own stockpiles after those shipments.

By Tamilla Hasanova