US eases measures for countering Russian sabotage, disinformation and cyberattacks, says Reuters

Reuters has revealed that several US national security agencies have halted coordinated efforts for countering Russian sabotage, disinformation and cyberattacks, easing pressure on Russia amid Trump's initiatives to end the war in Ukraine.

Source: Reuters, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Last year former US President Joe Biden ordered his national security team to set up working groups to monitor the issue due to US intelligence warnings that Russia was stepping up its shadow war against Western countries.

The plan was developed under the direction of the president's National Security Council (NSC) and involved at least seven national security agencies working with European allies to disrupt plots targeting Europe and the US, as officials involved in the working groups told Reuters.

The former US officials said that before President Donald Trump was inaugurated, his new administration was briefed by the Biden team on these efforts and was urged to continue monitoring Russia's hybrid warfare campaign.

However, since Trump took office on 20 January, much of the work has come to a standstill, said eleven current and former officials who wished to remain anonymous.

Regular NSC meetings with European security officials are now not scheduled, and the NSC also ceased formal coordination of efforts between US agencies, including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.

Reuters could not determine whether the president had ordered the administration to halt all work on monitoring and countering Russia’s campaign, whether agencies were still hiring additional personnel, or whether they were making independent policy decisions separate from the White House.

Some officials involved in the working groups said they were concerned that the Trump administration was de-prioritising the issue despite intelligence warnings. These changes follow the scaling back of other Russia-focused projects launched by the Biden administration.

Last month, the FBI called off its efforts to counter foreign interference in the US election, particularly Russia, and furloughed staff working on the matter at the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Justice recently dismantled the unit in charge of seizing assets from Russian oligarchs.

It is unclear to what extent the United States is still sharing intelligence on Russia's sabotage campaign with European partners. UK government officials said that routine intelligence exchange between the US and UK governments continues.

A senior US official at NATO stated that the US was still coordinating with its allies on this issue, but declined to provide any information. The CIA, FBI, and State Department declined to comment.

Anitta Hipper, the EU's spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, said she had no specific information to share when asked about the suspension of some intelligence-sharing meetings. She said that the EU is coordinating with NATO to counter hybrid threats, which cover everything from physical sabotage of critical infrastructure to disinformation campaigns.

Background:

• In late February, it was reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered the US Cyber Command, a unit within the Pentagon, to cease planning offensive cyber operations against Russia. This report was soon confirmed by other outlets. 
• However, the Pentagon later denied that Hegseth had ordered a halt to offensive cyber operations against Russia.  

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