Reuters: The Pentagon called on the Europeans to soften their rhetoric towards Russia. The agency, citing sources, said that Pentagon officials have in recent weeks called on several NATO countries to tone down the rhetoric about the threat from Russia, saying that some statements by European leaders and officials undermine the continent's security. "According to the agency's interlocutors, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were among the countries that received calls to curb public statements. It is not known whether similar requests have been forwarded to other European governments. These signals were made during bilateral meetings." According to Reuters interlocutors, one of the US officials who relayed these signals was US Under Secretary of Defense for Political Affairs Elbridge Colby, who plays a key role in the ongoing review of US troop levels in Europe. "One source told Reuters that Colby recently told a representative of one of the Baltic states that he should stop trying to 'provoke' the Russians. According to the agency's interlocutor, Colby cited public statements by Europeans that Russia was "cornered like a " as an example of unconstructive rhetoric. Reuters links these calls to the renewed efforts of the Trump administration to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine.

Reuters: The Pentagon called on the Europeans to soften their rhetoric towards Russia. The agency, citing sources, said that Pentagon officials have in recent weeks called on several NATO countries to tone down the rhetoric about the threat from Russia, saying that some statements by European leaders and officials undermine the continent's security. "According to the agency's interlocutors, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were among the countries that received calls to curb public statements. It is not known whether similar requests have been forwarded to other European governments. These signals were made during bilateral meetings." According to Reuters interlocutors, one of the US officials who relayed these signals was US Under Secretary of Defense for Political Affairs Elbridge Colby, who plays a key role in the ongoing review of US troop levels in Europe. "One source told Reuters that Colby recently told a representative of one of the Baltic states that he should stop trying to 'provoke' the Russians. According to the agency's interlocutor, Colby cited public statements by Europeans that Russia was "cornered like a " as an example of unconstructive rhetoric. Reuters links these calls to the renewed efforts of the Trump administration to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine.