US tells Europeans to cool their rhetoric on Russia

Officials at the Pentagon have in recent weeks asked several Nato countries to tone down their rhetoric regarding the threat posed by Russia, ‌arguing that some statements by European leaders and officials have undermined continental security, four people familiar with the matter said.

Among the nations that have received messages urging them to keep public statements in check are Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, said the people, who spoke ​on condition of anonymity.

It was not clear if the messages, which were delivered in bilateral meetings, were conveyed to other European governments.

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. The latest push has blended incentives for Russia – including sanctions relief – with pressure on Ukraine to halt its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

Asked for comment, a Pentagon official said: “Private conversations among allies are just that, ​so we will not comment on these allegations.”

Among the comments that have drawn US officials’ attention are suggestions by European leaders that Russia is cornered and resorting to increasingly desperate measures as its invasion of Ukraine slows to a crawl, one of the people said.

Pentagon ⁠policy chief Elbridge Colby, a key figure in an ongoing review of US troop levels in Europe, was one of the US officials delivering the message, the people said.

None of the people, who include three European officials and a US official, suggested the advice was communicated in a confrontational manner.

The US messages reflect a debate within Nato regarding how to publicly address the threat of an increasingly assertive Russia.

Some Western officials have argued that ⁠emphasising the threat posed by Moscow 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. That is especially true as Russia appears to accelerate a covert campaign of sabotage throughout the Continent.

Russia has denied that it is pursuing ‌such a campaign.

One of the people familiar with the contacts said Colby ​told a Baltic official recently that there should be no “poking” directed at the Russians.

The person said Colby pointed to Europeans publicly suggesting that Russia was “cornered like a rat” as an example of unhelpful rhetoric.

It ⁠was not clear what specific statement Colby was referring to. However, Estonian prime minister Kristen ⁠Michal referred to 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.

“We are helping you. The Americans are there,” said a separate European official, describing the Pentagon’s recent private messaging. “Just don’t be loud. Don’t make noise.”

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, though the person did not say Pentagon officials complained about any specific statement.

The defence ministries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia did not respond to requests for comment, while Nato declined to comment.

One of the European officials said that the Pentagon’s 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.

Other Nato intelligence services, by contrast, have publicly warned that Russia could dramatically ramp up its sabotage campaign in the ‌near future.

The Pentagon messages to Nato officials 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.

At the same time, US officials have been discussing potential business deals with Russia as part of the Trump administration’s push for peace in Ukraine. Those efforts have drawn mixed reactions from European officials, many of whom are pushing for ​the Kremlin’s continued economic isolation.

Pentagon planners, meanwhile, are 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.

Meanwhile, an aid convoy started moving overnight towards ‌the Russian-held town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine, carrying food and medical supplies among other items, the Russian newspaper ‌Izvestia said on Friday.

The move follows weeks of efforts to organise a relief operation for residents of the ​acutely deprived town, seized by Russian forces soon after Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbour.

Ukraine human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets and Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova, each wearing patches showing their nation’s flags, met by night ​in video images released by Russian state TV channel Vesti.

“Is everything all right?” Lantratova asked in Russian in the ⁠clip. “Yes, we were warmly welcomed,” Lubinets replied in Ukrainian.

The channel said the meeting ‌was ‌in ​Oleshky. A fleet of 25 buses with at least 750 seats stood ready to evacuate those seeking to leave, including pets, Lantratova ⁠said.

Russian newswires quoted Lantratova as ​saying Moscow and Kyiv were sticking to their ​agreements, while a ceasefire was holding to enable aid to the town. Both commissioners and ‌the US side had helped mediate the ​ceasefire.

Reporters from countries such as France, Italy, Russia, Ukraine and the United States are ⁠accompanying the convoy, according to Izvestia.

On Thursday, ⁠Russia and Ukraine ​said demining operations had been completed around Oleshky and the operation was ready to begin, to deliver aid to residents and let some leave.

Two people were killed in the demining effort in Oleshky, Lantratova said on Friday.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia struck an industrial facility near Kremenchuk while hitting the capital, Kyiv and Kharkiv, the second biggest city, to cause fires, officials said on the Telegram messaging ‌app, after deadly strikes ⁠a day before.

Russia has struck military facilities in Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram on Friday.

It added that it hit energy infrastructure in ‌and around Kyiv, as well as in the Dnipropetrovsk region, port facilities in the Odesa region and cargo ​vessels it said were used by the military.

Russian authorities downed ​most of the more than 850 drones headed overnight towards Moscow, the capital’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanian said on Telegram. – Reuters