Pentagon officials have in recent weeks asked several NATO countries to tone down their rhetoric regarding the threat posed by Russia, arguing that some statements by European leaders and officials have undermined continental security, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters in a report published on October 30.
Source: Reuters via WIXX
Among the nations that received messages urging them to keep public statements in check were Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, the people said. The messages were delivered in bilateral meetings, and it was not clear whether they were conveyed to other European governments. The sources — three European officials and one US official — spoke on condition of anonymity, and none suggested the advice was communicated in a confrontational manner.
Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, a key figure in an ongoing review of US troop levels in Europe, was one of the officials delivering the message, the people said. One person told Reuters that Colby told a Baltic official recently that there should be no “poking” directed at the Russians, and pointed to Europeans publicly suggesting that Russia was “cornered like a rat” as an example of unhelpful rhetoric. In late September, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “rat in a corner”, suggesting the Russian leader was resorting to sabotage efforts in Europe as Russia had become increasingly bogged down in Ukraine.
In a separate recent meeting, the Pentagon urged an Estonian delegation to be “measured” in its communications, according to a person briefed on the encounter. A separate European official described the private messaging this way: “We are helping you. The Americans are there. Just don't be loud. Don't make noise.” One European official told Reuters the advice, while cordial, was baffling, given that intelligence services in the Baltic states have in recent months consistently played down the probability of Russia testing NATO's mutual defence provisions.
Asked for comment, a Pentagon official told Reuters: “Private conversations among allies are just that, so we will not comment on these allegations.” The defence ministries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment, and NATO declined to comment.
Estonia pushes back on the record
Estonia's leaders answered publicly on Friday. Prime Minister Kristen Michal told Delfi he would not hold back, as reported by United24 Media. “I am not going to hold back — the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, is a dictator who kills women and children. And he will continue doing so until he is forced to change course,” Michal said. He said no US official had personally asked him to tone down his language, and that the issue was not raised when he last met US President Donald Trump in Ankara in the summer.
Source: United24 Media via Europe Says, reporting Delfi
Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told Estonian public broadcaster ERR that the United States had made no official proposal that Estonia change its tone, its foreign policy or its communication. “These are anonymous sources. I cannot comment on them, and I do not want to comment on them,” Tsahkna said, adding that Estonia is highly respected in the United States and across NATO because it is an expert on Russia. “It is certainly not in our interests to provoke Russia in any way; rather, Russia is provoking us,” he said. A Defence Ministry spokesperson told ERR no such request had been received through official channels.
Source: ERR via Europe Says
Outgoing Foreign Ministry Secretary General Jonatan Vseviov also told ERR he was not aware of any official request, and that such a proposal would in any case be rejected. “Estonia's voice is our most important trump card,” he said, adding that surrendering that voice is something Estonia should never even consider. Lithuania's Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas likewise said he had no information about such a request, adding: “What we speak is always based on facts. If a Russian drone flew in, we say that a Russian drone flew in.”
Source: ERR via Bytes Europe
Why Washington is pressing for quieter language
The US requests come as the Trump administration restarts an effort to press for a negotiated end to Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, now well into its fifth year, Reuters reported. The latest push has blended incentives for Russia — including sanctions relief — with pressure on Ukraine to halt its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, and US officials have been discussing potential business deals with Russia as part of that push.
Pentagon planners are meanwhile reviewing Washington's force posture in Europe, a process that could see a sharp drawdown in America's troop presence on the continent. US officials have said European NATO members need to assume more responsibility for their own defence, particularly as the US focuses on threats in the Middle East, Latin America and East Asia.
The debate comes as Western intelligence officials say Moscow has intensified a campaign of deniable attacks on NATO countries — a campaign Russia has denied pursuing. On Wednesday, German prosecutors said two Belarusians were arrested for allegedly planning to set fire to a building or critical infrastructure facility in the Nuremberg area, and in September the German government blamed Russia for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, allegations Moscow has denied, Reuters reported.