Pentagon officials have recently asked several NATO countries to tone down their public rhetoric about the threat posed by Russia, according to people familiar with the matter. Among the nations that received the messages were Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, where officials were urged to keep their public statements in check.
Four people familiar with the matter said the messages were delivered in bilateral meetings, according to a report from U.S. News & World Report, which cited Reuters reporting on the exclusive. Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, described as a key figure in an ongoing review of U.S. troop levels in Europe, was one of the officials who delivered a message, the people said. The Tacoma News Tribune carried the original Reuters dispatch, bylined by Antoni Slodkowski, Gram Slattery and Andrius Sytas, on Thursday.
In one instance, the Pentagon urged an Estonian delegation to be “measured” in its communications, according to a person briefed on the encounter. A Pentagon official, asked about the allegations, said only that “private conversations among allies are just that, so we will not comment on these allegations,” a statement Reuters reported. Reuters could not determine which other U.S. officials were involved in delivering the messages.
A Pointed Message, Delivered Quietly
Four sources familiar with the matter said Pentagon officials argued that statements by some European leaders and officials were undermining continental security. Three European officials and one U.S. official suggested the advice was not communicated confrontationally, the outlet's reporting indicates. One European official described the messaging differently, saying the Americans are helping Europe and should not be made noise about.
According to a person familiar with the matter, Colby told a Baltic official there should be no “poking” directed at the Russians. The same person said Colby specifically cited European public statements describing Russia as “cornered like a rat” as unhelpful rhetoric — an apparent reference to remarks made by Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, who in September referred to Vladimir Putin as a rat in a corner and suggested Putin had resorted to sabotage efforts in Europe as Russia became increasingly bogged down in Ukraine.
Why Washington Wants Quieter Talk Now
The requests come as the Trump administration renews its push for a negotiated end to Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine, now well into its fifth year. That effort has blended incentives for Russia — including potential sanctions relief — with pressure on Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, the reporting states. U.S. officials have discussed potential business deals with Russia as part of that peace push, though those efforts have drawn mixed reactions from European officials, many of whom are pushing for the Kremlin's continued economic isolation.
The messages also reflect a broader debate within NATO over how to publicly address the threat posed by an increasingly assertive Russia. Some Western officials have argued that emphasizing the threat from Moscow could serve the Kremlin's aims of sowing fear and undermining public support for Ukraine, while other Western officials have countered that European governments should be transparent with their electorates about the sacrifices and resources needed to keep Moscow at bay. U.S. officials have separately said European NATO members need to assume greater responsibility for their own defense, as Washington's attention turns toward the Middle East, Latin America and East Asia.
Troop Posture Review Looms Over the Conversations
Pentagon planners are simultaneously reviewing Washington's force posture in Europe, a process that could lead to a sharp drawdown in America's troop presence on the continent. The Pentagon formally launched that force posture review this past summer, according to Military Times, which reported the review will draw on input from U.S. European Command along with consultations with Congress and allies. The United States currently keeps roughly 80,000 military personnel in Europe, nearly half of them stationed in Germany, per Foreign Policy.
Colby briefed NATO allies on that review during a late-August visit to alliance headquarters, where NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed him for a meeting with the North Atlantic Council. On October 24, six days before October 30, Colby delivered remarks at the Desert Shield and Desert Storm memorial dedication ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Warnings of Sabotage Complicate the Picture
The push for quieter rhetoric comes even as other NATO intelligence services have warned that Russia could sharply increase its sabotage campaign in the near future, with Western intelligence officials saying Moscow has intensified deniable attacks on NATO countries. Three European intelligence chiefs told the Guardian that Russia's sabotage campaign in Europe is likely to intensify in the coming months, and Danish intelligence separately assessed that Russia is expected to intensify its hybrid attacks against European countries, according to a related Guardian report.
German prosecutors said two Belarusians were arrested this week on suspicion of planning arson against a building or critical infrastructure facility in the Nuremberg area. The German government has also blamed Russia for an attempted drone attack in September at Leipzig/Halle Airport, which Moscow denied carrying out. Russia has likewise denied pursuing any covert sabotage campaign in Europe, even as it appears to be accelerating such activity across the continent. One source familiar with the matter said some European leaders have suggested Russia is cornered and resorting to increasingly desperate measures as its invasion of Ukraine slows — while, according to a European official, Baltic states' intelligence services have played down the probability that Russia would actually test NATO's mutual defense provisions.
Spokespeople for the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian defense ministries did not respond to requests for comment, while NATO declined to comment, according to the reporting.
