The story, citing anonymous sources, said Pentagon officials had urged several NATO allies, including Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, to tone down their public rhetoric on the threat posed by Russia.

"I am not aware of such official requests, but the fact that not everyone may like the content or style of Estonia's message is no kind of surprise to me," Vseviov told ERR Friday. "That anyone would have officially proposed that Estonia keep quiet — I am not aware of that. And perhaps also because a proposal like that would always and in any case get rejected."

"Estonia's voice is our most important trump card, the most important weapon for taking part in international politics. And while that voice must be used wisely and never belligerently, surrendering that voice is something we should never even consider," he added.

Vseviov declined to say whether such a request had been conveyed unofficially, but did not rule it out. "Unofficially, people talk all the time... I honestly can't find any news value in that in itself," he said.

He said he would not draw far-reaching conclusions from the Reuters article, as often only a fragment of what happened behind closed doors reaches the media. Asked whether Estonia should tone down its positions, he said everything said about Estonia internationally must be taken into account, but that Estonia must use its voice as well as it can.

"The time when going to Washington cap in hand, hoping to get the Americans to do our business for us, is over," Vseviov said, adding that Europe must stand on its own two feet and treat America as a pragmatic, balanced ally that "does not have to panic at every thought expressed there."

He said Estonia's official positions on the security situation have been accurate and have foreseen events. "It is no coincidence that after the start of the great war on February 24, 2022, a whole string of world leaders pointed out that Estonia and the other Baltic states should have been listened to earlier," he said.

On Friday, Reuters reported that one source said U.S. officials had taken issue with statements by European leaders suggesting Russia had been backed into a corner, and that Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby was one of those conveying the message. A Pentagon official said: "Private conversations among allies are just that, so we will not comment on these allegations."

Lithuania's Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said he too had no information about such a request. "What we speak is always based on facts. If a Russian drone flew in, we say that a Russian drone flew in," he said. "We state the facts and will continue to do so."

Vseviov announced last week that he was joining the Social Democratic Party and running in the Riigikogu elections, and is expected to be confirmed as the party's prime ministerial candidate. He steps down as secretary general next month.

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