Pentagon urges Baltic NATO allies to tone down rhetoric about Russia, citing remarks likening Putin to a ‘rat in a corner’
Pentagon officials urged several NATO member countries to tone down their rhetoric about the Russian threat during bilateral meetings, according to Reuters sources.
The Pentagon has reportedly advised several NATO allies, including Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, to moderate their public statements regarding Russia's perceived threat, fearing that such rhetoric could destabilize security across the continent. These conversations, described as amicable rather than confrontational, allegedly took place during bilateral meetings, according to four people familiar with the discussions.
Estonia's Prime Minister Kristen Michal, for instance, had used the phrase "a rat in a corner" to describe Russian President Vladimir Putin, similar to comments made by European leaders suggesting Russia was cornered and resorting to desperate measures. US officials, however, declined to comment on whether similar messages were passed to other European governments.
The Pentagon's guidance comes as Western intelligence officials have raised concerns about a surge in Russian sabotage and covert attacks in Europe, a claim Russia denies. The administration is also striving to negotiate a resolution to Russia's conflict with Ukraine, balancing pressure on Kyiv to cease strikes on Russian energy infrastructure with potential incentives for Moscow, such as sanctions relief.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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