Foto: BB.LV / Пентагон
It is noted that they argued this by stating that some statements from European leaders and officials undermine the security of the continent. According to sources, among the countries that received calls to restrain public statements are Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. At the same time, it is unknown whether these messages, conveyed during bilateral meetings, were communicated to the governments of other European countries. One source mentioned that among the comments that attracted the attention of American officials were remarks from European leaders that Russia finds itself in a deadlock and is resorting to increasingly desperate measures as its invasion of Ukraine slows to a crawl. They noted that one of the American officials who conveyed this information was Elbridge Colby, head of the Pentagon's policy office – a key figure in the ongoing review of the number of American troops in Europe. None of the sources indicated that this advice was given in a confrontational manner. Additionally, one source stated that Colby recently told one of the Baltic officials that they should not "provoke" the Russians. According to him, Colby cited as an example the useless rhetoric of public statements from Europeans that Russia is "cornered like a rat." Another source mentioned that during a separate recent meeting, the Pentagon urged the Estonian delegation to exercise "restraint" in their statements. According to one European official, the Pentagon's advice, although expressed in a friendly tone, was met with surprise. The agency reached out to a Pentagon representative for comment on this information. "Private conversations between allies remain private, so we will not comment on these claims," he said.
