Donald Trump reportedly diverted money earmarked for countries affected by the Ukraine war to Latin American allies.

In September, the US state department informed Congress of its intent to redirect more than $52m (£39m) of military assistance, some of which was also intended for Middle Eastern nations, to Right-wing governments in Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.

The announcement prompted two Democratic members of Congress – Senator Jeanne Shaheen, of New Hampshire and Representative Gregory Meeks, of New York – to place a hold on the funds.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration told Congress it would defy the hold, three officials told The Washington Post.

Mr Trump has pushed for a reduction in the US military’s presence in Europe and a shift towards Latin America, where a new generation of like-minded leaders has pledged to work with him to clamp down on drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

The president has lavished praise on Right-wing strongmen such as El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, who has co-operated with the US to jail dozens of deportees in a megaprison housing suspected gang leaders.

He is also an admirer of Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela’s interim leader, who handed over majority control of her country’s oil to the US, and Abelardo de la Espriella, the Colombian president nicknamed “El Tigre”, who pledged to kill 10 cartel leaders within his first three months in office.

In a statement to The Washington Post, the US department of state said the funds would be better used in keeping with Mr Trump’s prioritisation of the region.

“Reprogramming money away from Middle East and Europe to the Western Hemisphere is consistent with the National Security Strategy,” the department said.

“The funds used in our region will combat narco-terrorism in our hemisphere and help continue to secure the Panama Canal.

“The funds used in the Western Hemisphere will strengthen US security partnerships and counter adversary military influence in our shared region.”

Some of the money, originally meant for Slovakia and North Macedonia, had been included in a supplemental bill to support countries affected by the war in Ukraine.

In a letter to Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, Ms Shaheen and Mr Meeks claimed the action was a violation of their hold, expressing particular opposition to the diversion of funds from the two European nations.

“Both chambers of Congress provided these funds for a very specific purpose: supporting Ukraine and our European allies in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion,” they wrote in the letter obtained by The Washington Post.

“The Executive Branch does not have unlimited discretion to redirect these funds toward unrelated Administration policy priorities or countries.”

The remainder of the money was earmarked for Iraq and Tunisia and was not subject to those restrictions.

On Tuesday, the US fully withdrew from Iraq as part of a wind-down in its operations against Islamic State. It has sought Baghdad’s co-operation to disarm Iran-backed militias in the country.

The impact of the Iran war was also seen in Mr Trump’s announcement in April that he would pull at least 5,000 troops from Germany after Friedrich Merz, the country’s chancellor, claimed the US had been “humiliated” by Tehran.

A source told The Telegraph at the time that the soldiers could be redeployed to Eastern Europe, Greenland or the Middle East.

The US president has repeatedly criticised Nato allies for not backing his war in Iran and called on member states to spend more on their own defence.

The rift has added to longstanding tensions over aid to Ukraine, which Mr Trump has repeatedly blocked as he seeks to pressure Kyiv into agreeing a peace deal with Russia.

Congress approved the supplemental funds to Slovakia and North Macedonia at the outset of the conflict in 2022, when the Biden administration was pushing for European nations to supply arms to Ukraine.

The goal of the legislation was also to encourage countries to buy military equipment from the US instead of from Russia.

In their letter to Mr Rubio, Ms Shaheen and Mr Meeks said the Trump administration had “failed” to justify diverting the funds.

They wrote that the Trump administration “confirmed that Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Peru have not provided meaningful security assistance to Ukraine or other European allies and partners impacted by Russia’s war in Ukraine”.