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Pentagon officials have in recent weeks asked several NATO countries to tone down their public statements about the threat posed by Russia, telling allies in private bilateral meetings that some of the language used by European leaders and officials has undermined continental security, Reuters reported on Friday, October 30, 2026, citing four people familiar with the matter.
The countries that received the messages include Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity. It was not clear whether the messages were conveyed to other European governments. None of the people — three European officials and a US official — suggested the advice was delivered in a confrontational manner.
Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby was one of the US officials delivering the message, according to the people familiar with the matter. Colby, a key figure in an ongoing review of US troop levels in Europe, told a Baltic official recently that there should be no "poking" directed at the Russians, one of the people said.
Colby pointed to Europeans publicly suggesting that Russia was "cornered like a rat" as an example of unhelpful rhetoric, the person said. It was not clear what specific statement he was referring to, but Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal referred to President Vladimir 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.
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, who did not say Pentagon officials complained about any specific statement.
A Pentagon official declined to comment on the report, saying: "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.
One European official described the Pentagon's recent private messaging this way: "We are helping you. The Americans are there. Just don't be loud. Don't make noise." Another European official said 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.
The messages reflect a debate within NATO over how to publicly address the threat of an increasingly assertive Russia. Some Western officials have argued that emphasising the threat 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, especially as Russia appears to accelerate a covert campaign of sabotage throughout the continent — a campaign Moscow has denied.
The US 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 reported that the latest push has blended incentives for Russia, including sanctions relief, with pressure on Ukraine to halt its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
The Pentagon messages also 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.
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.