The United States Department of Defense (also called the Pentagon) has asked some European NATO countries to be more careful when speaking about Russia. These requests were made to countries such as Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. These countries are near Russia and Belarus and often speak strongly in support of Ukraine after Russia started a full invasion in 2022.

The Pentagon asked these countries to use less aggressive language about Russia because strong words could increase tensions and make Europe less safe. The talks were polite, and Pentagon officials did not want the European countries to say that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trapped or desperate in public.

Because of this request, European countries may speak more carefully about Russia in the future. The goal is to support Ukraine and Europe’s security, but not cause more conflict with Russia by using very strong language.