Eastern European leaders are urging President Donald Trump to keep U.S. troops on NATO’s eastern flank after a wave of Russian air and drone incursions, warning that Vladimir Putin is ‘pushing the limits’ and will ‘believe only what he sees’ from allied defenses.

In interviews with Fox News Digital, ministers from Estonia, Lithuania and Romania said the alliance must harden its posture — moving from air policing to integrated air and missile defenses, sharpening rules of engagement and sustaining U.S. troop rotations — to prevent Russia from normalizing violations and eroding Article 5 credibility. They paired the military message with calls for tighter sanctions and an end to European energy dependence that funds the Kremlin’s war machine.

Their appeals land as Washington weighs a new national security strategy aimed at prioritizing homeland defense. Before the most recent incursions, U.S. officials had cautioned allies to prepare for a reduction of the American footprint, pressing Europe to take on a greater share of the burden.

‘We hope U.S. troops remain in the region. Their presence secures peace and sends a clear signal,’ Estonia’s foreign minister Margus Tsahkna said. ‘Putin understands only the language of strength. His goal is the restoration of the Soviet empire.’

This month Russian drones were detected in Polish and Romanian airspace, while Russian missile-carrying MiG-29s crossed briefly into Estonian territory. For the ninth time this year, Russian jets were also spotted inside the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone.

Ahead of the U.S. expected global review of force posture, Lithuania’s foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys said deterrence must be visible, not theoretical.

He said he has been making the case to U.S. counterparts: ‘This presence makes the difference. It forces Russia to change its calculations.’

‘Russia they have to see. They don’t believe in our plans and our protocols. They believe in what they see. So they are crossing our airspace, and they see no reaction,’ he went on. ‘With the presence of the troops. When they see that they are stationed there, and they are training. And they’re interacting with the local armed forces. For them, this is the message that, okay, we are not getting in there.’

‘U.S. rotational deployments are one of the most effective deterrents,’ Budrys said. ‘Russia doesn’t believe in our plans; it believes what it sees.’

Romania’s warning

Romanian foreign minister Oana Țoiu echoed the Baltics, adding that security on the Black Sea is tied to U.S. interests.

‘Every country sets its priorities, but the security of the eastern flank also serves U.S. security and financial interests — there’s real potential for joint investment, cyber, energy and infrastructure if security is ensured,’ she said.

Țoiu noted Romania has authorized its forces to shoot down Russian drones that threaten its territory and economy, and stressed the importance of NATO’s U.S. presence. Bucharest is also positioning itself as a regional energy supplier, expanding nuclear power with U.S. support and tapping natural gas fields in the Black Sea.

Washington’s role

About 80,000 American troops are stationed across Europe, according to U.S. European Command — down from roughly 105,000 just after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Thousands rotate through Lithuania, Estonia hosts a persistent U.S. contingent and roughly 3,000 are based in Romania, according to the State Department.

Despite speculation about U.S. drawdowns, Trump and senior officials have sharpened their rhetoric. On Monday, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz pledged Washington would defend ‘every inch’ of NATO territory. Trump suggested intruding Russian aircraft should be shot down and insisted Ukraine, with European support, can take back all of its territory.

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said those statements have resonance.

‘The unity of NATO has never been clearer,’ Wilson told Fox News Digital. ‘Sweden and Finland are now members. Trump correctly pointed out allies weren’t reaching 2 percent, now he’s moving to 5 percent. That means peace through strength.’

Eastern Sentry

In response to Russia’s provocations, NATO launched Eastern Sentry on September 12, 2025. The multidomain activity, led by Allied Command Operations, brings together fighter jets, naval assets and counter-drone systems from multiple allies to plug gaps and rotate forces across the eastern flank — from the Baltics to the Black Sea. Unlike a static buildup, the mission is designed to adapt quickly to emerging threats and demonstrate flexible deterrence.

President Donald Trump kicked off the week delivering remarks at the United Nations General Assembly, and closed it out by attending the 2025 Ryder Cup golf competition. 

During his address to the U.N. General Assembly debate Tuesday, Trump cautioned that Europe is in a crisis due to an influx of illegal immigration and warned that U.N. countries are ‘going to hell’ in the ‘failed experiment of open borders.’ 

‘Europe is in serious trouble,’ Trump said Tuesday. ‘They’ve been invaded by a force of illegal aliens like nobody’s ever seen before. Illegal aliens are pouring into Europe. Nobody is ever. And nobody’s doing anything to change it, to get them out. It’s not sustainable. And because they choose to be politically correct, they’re doing just absolutely nothing about it.’ 

The Trump administration has taken a tough stance against illegal immigrants to advance Trump’s mass deportation agenda. 

‘The U.N. is supposed to stop invasions, not create them and not finance them,’ Trump said. ‘In the United States, we reject the idea that mass numbers of people from foreign lands can be permitted to travel halfway around the world, trample our borders, violate our sovereignty, cause unmitigated crime, and deplete our social safety net. We have reasserted that America belongs to the American people, and I encourage all countries to take their own stand in defense of their citizens as well.’ 

After his remarks before the General Assembly and after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said that he believes Ukraine, with the backing of the European Union, could secure back all of its territory as the war between Russia and Ukraine persists. 

‘After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,’ Trump said in a Tuesday Truth Social post. ‘With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option.’ 

‘Why not? Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win,’ Trump said. ‘This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like ‘a paper tiger.’’ 

Meanwhile, Trump headed to Farmingdale, New York, Friday along with his granddaughter Kai for the Ryder Cup golf competition at Bethpage Black Course. 

Trump has appeared at two other sporting events in New York in September: the U.S. Open men’s final and a New York Yankees game Sept. 11. 

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj and Ryan Morik contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump told reporters Friday that the indictment against former FBI Director James Comey is about pursuing long-standing corruption and not political payback.

‘It’s about justice really, it’s not revenge,’ Trump said while departing the White House. ‘It’s also about the fact that you can’t let this go on. They are sick, radical left people, and they can’t get away with it and Comey was one of the people.’

‘He wasn’t the biggest, but he’s a dirty cop,’ Trump added. ‘He’s always been a dirty cop. Everybody knew it.’

Trump’s comments came after Comey was indicted by a grand jury for allegedly lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. He was indicted on two counts: alleged false statements within the jurisdiction of the legislative branch and obstruction of congressional proceeding.

The president argued Comey gave a strong but false answer under oath and ultimately ‘got caught lying.’

‘The only problem is for him he didn’t think he’d be caught and he got caught,’ Trump said, emphasizing that Comey could have hedged or said he didn’t remember, but instead gave a very specific response.

‘It’s about justice. He lied. He lied a lot,’ Trump said. ‘He gave a very specific answer and then he verified it numerous times and he got caught.’

Comey was indicted by a grand jury following a probe centered on whether he lied to Congress during his Sept. 30, 2020, testimony about his handling of the original Trump–Russia investigation at the FBI, known inside the bureau as ‘Crossfire Hurricane.’ 

Comey has denied the allegations, declaring himself innocent and labeling the charges politically motivated by the Trump Justice Department. 

‘My family and I have known for years that there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump, but we couldn’t imagine ourselves living any other way,’ Comey said in an Instagram video after his indictment. ‘We will not live on our knees and you shouldn’t either. Somebody that I love dearly recently said that fear is the tool of a tyrant, and she’s right.’

‘But I’m not afraid,’ Comey added.

WATCH: Former FBI Director Comey responds after grand jury indicts him on two counts

The indictment also alleges Comey made a false statement when he testified that he did not authorize someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source. According to the indictment, that statement was false.

Comey’s arraignment is set for 10 a.m. on Oct. 9 before District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff, a judge appointed by former President Joe Biden.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman, David Spunt and Greg Wehner contributed to this report. 

Senate Democrats earlier this year were unwilling to shut down the government over fears of mass firings and deep cuts to spending, but now with a similar threat on the horizon, they seem unwilling to keep the lights on.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus have further dug into their position in the week that Congress has been away from Washington, D.C., and they appear ready to not provide the needed votes to avert a partial government shutdown by Sept. 30.

Republicans are calling foul on their position and contend that their rhetoric is hypocritical to their stance from earlier this year, when Senate Democrats — including Schumer — voted to keep the government open.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., contended that their position now is completely counter to the one they held in March when the government was again on the brink of closure, especially given their concerns that the Trump administration and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) would move ahead with mass firings.

‘The argument they made was that you don’t want to give Trump — basically by shutting the government down — carte blanche to do whatever he wants to do with these government agencies, and, you know, to let the OMB make decisions about who’s essential and who isn’t,’ Thune said on ‘The Hugh Hewitt Show.’

‘Because they do fundamentally believe they are the government party,’ he continued. ‘Which is why I think it’s going to be hard, can be really hard for them to sustain this over a long period of time, but we’ll see.’

The OMB circulated a memo to federal agencies this week that directed mass firings of federal employees beyond the typical shutdown furloughs, but Schumer chalked it up to ‘an attempt at intimidation.’

‘Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one — not to govern, but to scare,’ he said. ‘This is nothing new and has nothing to do with funding the government. These unnecessary firings will either be overturned in court or the administration will end up hiring the workers back, just like they did as recently as today.’

When asked if he was concerned by what could happen if the government closed, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., countered that it was a ‘political question.’

‘That’s not the way I think about it,’ he told Fox News Digital. ‘I represent a Virginia that’s been ravaged by what Donald Trump has done to the federal workforce, federal contractors.’

‘Donald Trump is doing stuff that hurts the country,’ he continued. ‘Donald Trump told Republicans not even to talk, to negotiate with Democrats on this.’

In March, when it appeared that Schumer would lead Democrats in lockstep to close the government, he backed down and argued that it was a ‘Hobson’s choice.’ Ultimately, he and nine other Senate Democrats advanced the bill.

Congressional Democrats at the time were fuming at the power that tech billionaire Elon Musk wielded and the impact a shutdown would have on the federal workforce, given the waves of firings and buyouts already taking place at the hands of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

He said during a speech on the Senate floor that a shutdown would ‘give Donald Trump and Elon Musk carte blanche to destroy vital government services,’ and it would let the GOP ‘weaponize their majorities to cherry-pick which parts of the government to reopen.’

Fast-forward to today and the only Senate Democrat publicly supporting the GOP’s short-term funding extension, or continuing resolution (CR), is Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.

He told Fox News Digital that shutting the government down would unleash chaos that the country didn’t need, particularly if President Donald Trump and the OMB were given no guardrails to rein in cuts or mass firings.

He said that if Democrats are concerned about the changes brought on by the Trump administration, shutting the government down is not the right answer.

‘We must keep our government open,’ Fetterman said. ‘If we shut our government down, you know, the kinds of chaos and the kinds of loss for the millions of Americans that count on that directly, it’s just not the appropriate time for that, especially after the [Charlie] Kirk assassination.’

Schumer and congressional Democrats offered a counter-proposal to the GOP’s CR that included a laundry list of demands, such as permanently extending Obamacare subsidies, repealing the healthcare title of Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ and clawing back billions of canceled funding for NPR and PBS.

Both the Republican and Democrat proposals failed in the Senate last week.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., like the majority of his Democratic colleagues, was rooted in opposition to the GOP’s short-term extension because of its lack of language to address Obamacare subsidies that expire at the end of this year.

When asked if he was concerned that shutting the government down would give Trump free rein to do as he pleased, Blumenthal told Fox News Digital, ‘I think Republicans would insist that he follow the law.’

Thune has signaled that conversations about the Obamacare subsidies, in particular, could happen after a shutdown is averted, but it so far has not been enough for Senate Democrats.

‘I mean, they passed 13 short-term resolutions during the Biden administration, and 96% of the Democrats voted for it,’ Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told Fox News Digital. ‘And go check out their rhetoric. So now, all of a sudden, they can’t vote for it. It’s ridiculous.’

When pressed on whether Republicans would move on Obamacare subsidies, Hoeven said, ‘I think we’re gonna do something we haven’t decided. So we’re talking about a number of different things, but we’re working on it.’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) was blasted across Gaza for Palestinians to hear thanks to a scheme from Israeli intelligence.

The prime minister said he wanted to speak directly to the 20 living hostages who remain in Hamas captivity. 

‘I want to do something I’ve never done before. I want to speak from this forum directly to those hostages through loudspeakers. I’ve surrounded Gaza with massive loudspeakers connected to this microphone, in the hope that our dear hostages will hear my message.’ 

Netanyahu’s office said he had ordered his speech to be played over loudspeakers from the Israeli side of the border with Gaza.

He also said Israeli intelligence had found a way to broadcast the speech on cellphones across Gaza.

‘Thanks to special efforts by Israeli intelligence, my words are now also being carried. They’re streamed live through the cell phones of Gazans.’ 

But Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had been ordered to set up speakers and broadcast the speech inside the Gaza Strip — not on the border.

‘To Netanyahu’s regret, he is not Kim Jong-un, and the Israeli army does not need to broadcast the ruler’s speeches over loudspeakers while endangering soldiers in the field,’ opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on X. 

Soldiers serving in the Gaza Strip and their families released a statement claiming they’d been ordered to enter Gaza to set up the loudspeakers. 

‘The prime minister is lying,’ said a joint statement from the families. ‘We know from our children in uniform that the loudspeakers were placed inside Gaza. This action endangers their lives, all for the sake of a so-called public diplomacy campaign to preserve his rule.’

They continued: ‘He is doing PR at the expense of our children’s lives and security. Today we lost the last shred of trust we had in the political echelon and in the army leaders who approved this scandalous operation.’

During his speech, Netanyahu said directly to the hostages: ‘We have not forgotten you. Not even for a second. The people of Israel are with you. We will not falter, and we will not rest until we bring all of you home.’

Netanyahu took the U.N. main stage at a time when hostilities with the international body reached an all-time high. Amid mounting international pressure over Israel’s offensive campaign in Gaza, the U.N. has held meetings this week to push for a two-state solution. 

Dozens of U.N. delegates walked out of the General Assembly hall as the prime minister spoke. After the walkout, there were far more empty seats than delegates watching the speech. 

Member states voted to allow Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to speak remotely on Thursday, where he accused Israel of ‘genocide’ and demanded full U.N. membership for a Palestinian state. Abbas received a 30-second round of applause after his address.

The prime minister eviscerated nations that recognized a Palestinian state — notably France, the U.K., Australia, and Canada. 

‘I say to the representatives of those nations, this is not an indictment of Israel,’ Netanyahu said. ‘It’s an indictment of you. It’s an indictment of weakness. Leaders who appease evil rather than support a nation whose brave soldiers guard you from the barbarians at the gate. They’re already penetrating your gates. When will you learn?’

Netanyahu also claimed 90% of Palestinians ‘celebrated’ Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7th. 

‘Nearly 90% of Palestinians supported the attack on October 7th. It’s not supported, they celebrated it. They danced on the rooftops. They threw candies. That’s what was both in Gaza and in Judea. Samaria, the West Bank, as you call [it]. And it’s just the way they celebrated another horror — 9/11. They danced on the rooftops. They cheered. They threw candy.’

Speaking to those who support a Palestinian state, Netanyahu claimed: ‘They don’t want a state next to Israel. They want a Palestinian state instead of Israel.’

‘What you’re doing is giving the ultimate reward to intolerant fanatics who perpetrated and supported the October 7th massacre. Giving the Palestinians a state one mile from Jerusalem after October 7th is like giving al-Qaida state one mile from New York City after Sept. 11th. This is sheer madness. It’s insane. And we won’t do it,’ Netanyahu went on. 

The prime minister touted Israel’s military campaigns and the attacks on Iran and Hezbollah.

‘Remember those beepers? The pagers? We paged Hezbollah… and believe me, they got the message,’ he quipped. 

Pagers belonging to members of Hezbollah exploded last year across Lebanon, killing and injuring locals. 

And after the U.S. carried out unprecedented strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June, he said more work remained to be done to eradicate Iran’s nuclear threat. 

‘We must not allow Iran to rebuild its military nuclear capacities. Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium, these stockpiles, must be eliminated.’

The prime minister faces the shadow of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November 2024, which has complicated his international travels and intensified scrutiny of his wartime decisions.

The U.S. does not adhere to ICC decisions, and banned Palestinian leaders from traveling to New York for UNGA. 

But the prime minister took a circuitous route to New York, avoiding the airspace of Spain and France, both signatories of the Rome Statute of the ICC, which could make him subject to arrest if he were to land in their country. 

On Thursday, President Donald Trump said he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank — an option Israeli officials had said was on the table in response to the growing swell of Palestinian recognition. 

‘I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It’s not going to happen,’ Trump said in the Oval Office, adding that he’d spoken to Netanyahu on the topic. 

‘It’s been enough. It’s time to stop now,’ he added.

On Thursday, Trump officials presented a 21-point plan to end the war in Gaza, which would focus on releasing the remaining hostages and a ceasefire.