Source : BRICS NEWS (AI-generated illustration)
Pentagon officials have in recent weeks asked several NATO countries, including Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, to tone down their public rhetoric about the threat posed by Russia, arguing that some statements by European leaders and officials have undermined security on the continent, Reuters reported, citing four people familiar with the matter.
The development was highlighted by the news aggregator BRICS News, which reported on X on the afternoon of October 30, 2026, Malaysia time, that the United States had told European countries to tone down their rhetoric on Russia. According to Reuters, the messages were delivered in bilateral meetings, and it was not clear whether they had also been conveyed to other European governments.
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 requests for comment, while NATO declined to comment.
No ‘poking’ the Russians
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 told Reuters. One of them said Colby recently told a Baltic official 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.
Reuters said it was not clear which specific statement Colby was referring to, but noted that Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal described Putin as a “rat in a corner” in late September, suggesting the Russian leader was resorting to sabotage in Europe as Russia became 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.
None of the people, who include three European officials and a US official, suggested the advice was delivered in a confrontational manner. “We are helping you. The Americans are there,” one European official said, describing the Pentagon’s private messaging. “Just don’t be loud. Don’t make noise.”
Push for a Ukraine settlement
The 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. Reuters said the latest push has blended incentives for Russia, including sanctions relief, with pressure on Ukraine to halt its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Earlier this month, Euronews reported that Colby had urged Baltic officials during a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels in August to adopt a less confrontational tone towards Russia, citing renewed US efforts to end the war.
The messages reflect a wider debate within NATO over how to talk about an increasingly assertive Russia. Some Western officials argue that emphasising the threat plays into the hands of the Kremlin, which they say seeks to sow fear and undermine support for Ukraine, while others say governments must be transparent with voters about the sacrifices needed to keep Moscow at bay, particularly as Russia appears to accelerate a covert sabotage campaign across the continent. Russia has denied pursuing such a campaign.
One European official told Reuters the Pentagon’s advice, while cordial, was baffling, as Baltic intelligence services have in recent months consistently played down the likelihood of Russia testing NATO’s mutual defence provisions. On Wednesday, German prosecutors said two Belarusians had been 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, an allegation Moscow has denied. Pentagon planners are meanwhile reviewing Washington’s force posture in Europe, a process that could lead to a sharp drawdown of US troops on the continent.
Source : BRICS NEWS, with reporting from Reuters and Euronews.
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