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 said.
Among the nations that have received messages urging them to keep public statements in check are Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, said the people who spoke on condition of anonymity. It was not clear if the messages, which were delivered in bilateral meetings, were conveyed to other European governments.
The U.S. requests come as the Trump administration restarts an effort to press for a negotiated end to the full-scale war in Ukraine, now well into its fifth year. The latest push has blended incentives for Russia - including sanctions relief - with pressure on Ukraine to halt its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
Asked for comment, a Pentagon official said, “Private conversations among allies are just that, so we will not comment on these allegations.”
Among the comments that have drawn U.S. officials' attention are suggestions by European leaders that Russia is cornered and resorting to increasingly desperate measures as its invasion of Ukraine slows to a crawl, one of the people said.
Pentagon Policy Chief Elbridge Colby, a key figure in an ongoing review of U.S. troop levels in Europe, was one of the U.S. officials delivering the message, the people said. Reuters could not determine what other officials were involved.
None of the people, who include three European officials and a U.S. official, suggested the advice was communicated in a confrontational manner.
The U.S. messages reflect a debate within NATO regarding how to publicly address the threat of an increasingly assertive Russia.
Some Western officials have argued that emphasising the threat posed by Moscow could play into the hands of the Kremlin, which they say seeks to sow fear and undermine support for Ukraine.
Others argue European governments must be transparent to show their electorates that sacrifice and resources are needed to keep Moscow at bay. That is especially true as Russia appears to accelerate a covert campaign of sabotage throughout the continent.
Russia has denied that it is pursuing such a campaign.
One of the people familiar told Reuters that Colby told a Baltic official recently that there should be no “poking” directed at the Russians.
The person said Colby pointed to Europeans publicly suggesting that Russia was “cornered like a rat” as an example of unhelpful rhetoric.
It was not clear what specific statement Colby was referring to. However, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal referred to Putin as a “rat in a corner” in late September, suggesting the Russian leader was resorting to sabotage efforts in Europe as Russia had become increasingly bogged down in Ukraine.
“We are helping you. The Americans are there,” said a separate European official, describing the Pentagon's recent private messaging. “Just don't be loud. Don't make noise.”
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, though the person did not say Pentagon officials complained about any specific statement.
The defence ministries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia did not respond to requests for comment, while NATO declined to comment.
One of the European officials said that the Pentagon's 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.
Other NATO intelligence services, by contrast, have publicly warned that Russia could dramatically ramp up its sabotage campaign in the near future.
The Pentagon messages to NATO officials come at a fraught time for European security.
Moscow has recently intensified its campaign of deniable attacks on NATO countries, Western intelligence officials have said.
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. In September, the German government blamed Russia for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, allegations Moscow has denied.
At the same time, U.S. officials have been discussing potential business deals with Russia as part of the Trump administration's push for peace in Ukraine. Those efforts have drawn mixed reactions from European officials, many of whom are pushing for the Kremlin's continued economic isolation.
Pentagon planners, meanwhile, are reviewing Washington's force posture in Europe, a process that could see a sharp drawdown in America's troop presence on the continent.
U.S. officials have said European NATO members need to assume more responsibility for their own defence, particularly as the U.S. focuses on threats in the Middle East, Latin America and East Asia.
Officials have prepared 25 buses with room for 750 people to evacuate residents from the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky, Kyiv&...
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday as part of efforts to reach a deal between the U.S. and Iran, ...
Pentagon officials have in recent weeks asked several NATO countries to tone down their rhetoric regarding the ...
The Middle East conflict remains tense as diplomatic efforts continue alongside renewed Houthi attacks. Iran says it remains open to mediation, while the Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards the kingdom.
Rescuers searched the wreckage of two high-speed trains in central Spain on Thursday as the death toll rose to a provisional 74, making it the country's second fatal high-speed rail disaster this year.
Strengthened U.S.-Central Asia ties reflect a broader trend in international relations, with growing emphasis on developing alternative transit routes and diversifying energy and critical mineral supply networks to gain geopolitical influence.
At least 68 people have been killed after two high-speed trains collided in Spain on Wednesday, in the second deadly rail disaster in less than a year on a major route linking Madrid with the southern Andalusia region.
UN human rights experts comprising a group including Special Rapporteurs and independent experts who are part of the UN Human Rights Council, have criticised French authorities over their handling of nationwide student protests.
Officials have prepared 25 buses with room for 750 people to evacuate residents from the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky, Kyiv’s Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets has said.
AnewZ Daily Brief for 30 October 2026: Four humanitarian crises are deepening, with hospitals overwhelmed in Yemen, aid operations underway in Ukraine, hunger driving Afghan farmers back to poppy cultivation and a deadly drone strike devastating communities in Sudan.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has rejected a maritime boundaries agreement between Türkiye and Libya’s eastern parliament as “blatantly illegal, null and void, saying it ignored Greece’s islands and the realities of geography.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged his country to achieve “absolute superiority” in drone technology while attending an exhibition and demonstration of unmanned aerial systems, state media KCNA reported on Friday.
A tanker carrying the first Russian diesel shipped under a surprise agreement between Moscow and U.S. President Donald Trump is heading towards the North Atlantic. However, it remains uncertain whether the fuel will end up in the U.S.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment