Pentagon tells Baltic allies to stop 'poking' Russia and cool their rhetoric as Trump pushes for a Ukraine deal
Trump is pushing a Ukraine peace deal that blends sanctions relief for Russia with pressure on Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby personally delivered the message in bilateral meetings, urging Baltic states not to suggest Russia was "cornered like a rat" — a phrase used by Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal in September. The private push comes as Trump's team blends sanctions relief for Moscow with pressure on Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
Putin last night declared he is 'ready' for major war with Europe, warning there would be 'no winners' in any Nato clash.
'Just don't be loud. Don't make noise,' a European official said, describing the tone of the Pentagon's private guidance.
Michal told reporters no Trump official has ever raised the issue with him directly, insisting the subject never came up at the Ankara Nato summit.
