The Pentagon has called on the Baltic states to tone down their rhetoric regarding Russia, according to Reuters

Pentagon officials have urged several NATO allies—including Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia—to tone down their public statements about the Russian threat. The U.S. side believes that harsh statements by European politicians could undermine the continent’s security.

According to sources, U.S. officials conveyed their concerns during bilateral meetings with representatives of certain NATO countries. It is currently unknown whether the governments of other European countries have received similar requests.

One of the U.S. representatives who voiced this position was Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s director of policy.

According to one of Reuters’ sources, during a conversation with a representative of a Baltic country, Colby urged them not to “provoke” Russia. As an example of ill-advised rhetoric, he cited public statements claiming that Moscow had been “cornered like a rat.”

This likely referred to remarks made by Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal. In late September, he called Russian dictator Vladimir Putin a “rat in a corner” while commenting on Russia’s subversive activities in Europe.

In addition, during a recent meeting between Pentagon officials and an Estonian delegation, the American side urged the delegation to exercise greater restraint in its public communications.

One European official described the U.S. position as follows:

“We’re helping you. The Americans are here. Just don’t make a fuss.”

According to journalists, Washington’s calls for more restrained rhetoric came amid renewed efforts by the Donald Trump administration to negotiate an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

This process, in particular, involves the possibility of easing sanctions against Moscow and putting pressure on Kyiv to stop strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.

The Pentagon declined to comment on reports of private conversations with allies.

“Private conversations between allies are just that—private—so we will not comment on these claims,” a department spokesperson said.

One European official called the U.S. advice strange. According to him, the intelligence services of the Baltic states have consistently downplayed the likelihood in recent months that Russia would dare to test NATO’s collective defense mechanism.

At the same time, intelligence agencies from other NATO countries have warned of a possible intensification of Russia’s sabotage campaign in Europe.

Thus, the Pentagon’s appeal to its allies came amid differing assessments among NATO countries regarding the nature and scale of the Russian threat, as well as the intensification of the Donald Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Reuters reported this, citing four sources familiar with the discussions.

Earlier, Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda met at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland. The parties discussed regional security, countering hybrid threats, Lithuania’s upcoming presidency of the EU Council, and issues related to the rights of national minorities.

In Estonia, near Narva, construction of the first concrete bunkers as part of the Baltic Defense Line has been completed. Work on installing such structures is ongoing in Ida-Viru County in the northeast of the country.