Pentagon Warns Baltic NATO States Against Provoking Russia

By Staff, Agencies

The Pentagon has privately urged the Baltic NATO members to tone down their increasingly confrontational rhetoric toward Russia, warning that such statements could undermine European security, Reuters reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The reported warning comes as Washington steps up diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict through negotiations with Moscow.

According to four sources cited by Reuters, Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, who is involved in an ongoing review of US troop deployments in Europe, advised a Baltic official against “poking” Moscow.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were among the countries that received the message, having adopted more hardline positions toward Russia than many other NATO members.

“We are helping you. The Americans are there,” one European official told Reuters, describing Washington’s message. “Just don’t be loud. Don’t make noise.”

The Pentagon also reportedly urged an Estonian delegation to adopt a more “measured” approach in its public communications. It remains unclear whether similar warnings were delivered to other NATO members.

One European official described Washington’s advice as “baffling,” arguing that Baltic intelligence services had already played down the likelihood of a direct Russian attack on NATO territory. The Pentagon declined to comment on private communications with its allies.

The reported intervention follows a series of sharp statements by Baltic officials against Moscow. In September, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to a “rat in a corner,” while Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda warned that Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia, including attacks on civilian facilities, could provoke Russian retaliation.

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze also accused Russia of “state-sponsored terrorism” following the discovery of an explosives-laden drone at Germany’s Leipzig airport.

Putin denied Moscow’s involvement in the incident, saying Berlin had provided no evidence to support the accusation and suggesting it was connected to Germany’s domestic difficulties.

The Russian president has repeatedly dismissed claims that Moscow intends to attack NATO or EU countries, describing such speculation as “political schizophrenia.”