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Australia and Israel are trading diplomatic blows with each side taking actions against the other’s officials.

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a scathing statement accusing Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of betraying Israel.

“History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews,” Netanyahu said.

AUSTRALIA TO RECOGNIZE PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD: ‘HUMANITY’S BEST HOPE’

Albanese announced last week that Australia will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. The move follows similar commitments made by the U.K., France and Canada. Additionally, Australia also canceled the visa of Religious Zionist Party lawmaker Simcha Rothman, part of Netanyahu’s coalition.

Rothman was set to embark on a “solidarity tour” to meet with Australia’s Jewish community as it grapples with surging antisemitism.

“The timing of the cancellation at the last minute was spiteful and intended to cause maximum harm to the Australian Jewish community. Mr. Rothman received his cancellation on the day he was to head to the airport for his flight,” Australian Jewish Association (AJA) CEO Robert Gregory said in a statement posted to the group’s Facebook. “The message from the Albanese Government to Jews is clear and we urge all Jews to seriously consider whether it is safe for them to visit Australia under this government.”

Despite the ban, AJA arranged for Rothman to address the Jewish community virtually, saying “the show will go on” and “the Jew-haters will not win.”

“The Jewish community won’t bow down to Tony Burke or Penny Wong. Instead of many events, we will hold one large communal event where Simcha will address the Jewish community via Zoom,” AJA announced on X.

ANTISEMITIC ATTACKERS VIOLENTLY TARGET SYNAGOGUE, ISRAELI RESTAURANT IN AUSTRALIA

“The Jewish community in Australia has suffered a wave of antisemitism in recent times. When the Jewish community invited a senior Israeli politician to meet some of the victims and see the damage, the Australian government responded by banning him a few hours before his flight,” AJA CEO Robert Gregory told Fox News Digital.

“Senior figures in the Australian government were radical left-wing activists in their youth, and their policies are fueling division and antisemitism. It’s sad to see the Australian government trash its longstanding friendship with Israel. Many in Australia are hoping the United States will speak up or take action about the antisemitism crisis in Australia,” Gregory added.

In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he would revoke visas for Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority. He also directed Israel’s embassy in Canberra to “carefully examine any official Australian visa application.”

“While antisemitism is raging in Australia, including manifestations of violence against Jews and Jewish institutions, the Australian government is choosing to fuel it by false accusations, as if the visit of Israeli figures will disrupt public order and harm Australia’s Muslim population,” Sa’ar wrote on X. “It is shameful and unacceptable!”

AJA praised Sa’ar’s decision, saying that “The disgusting antisemitism from the Albanese government deserves a strong response.”

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Australia’s Jews have seen antisemitism surge since Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre. According to an annual report released by Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024, the country saw 2,062 anti-Jewish incidents. This marked an increase of 316% since its report of the previous year — Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023 — when there were 495 recorded incidents. ECAJ has yet to release a report for 2025.

The report documents assaults, verbal abuse, vandalism and other incidents. When broken down into categories, anti-Jewish physical assaults rose by 491% since the previous report and verbal abuse increased by 230% over the same period. 

Fox News Digital reached out to AJA and Albanese’s office but did not receive responses in time for publication.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un called for the rapid buildup of his nation’s nuclear arsenal on Tuesday, reacting to joint military operations by the U.S. and South Korea.

Kim called the military exercises an “obvious expression of their will to provoke war,” according to North Korean state media. The U.S. and South Korea began their annual military drills, dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield, this week and operations will continue sporadically through September.

The North Korean leader argued the drills show the intent by the U.S. and South Korea to “remain most hostile and confrontational,” and that North Korea must therefore “rapidly expand” its nuclear arsenal.

“Through this move, North Korea is demonstrating its refusal to accept denuclearization and the will to irreversibly upgrade nuclear weapons,” Hong Min, a North Korea analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told Reuters. 

KIM JONG UN LEFT FUMING AFTER NORTH KOREA’S NEW DESTROYER DAMAGED IN FAILED LAUNCH

The rise in tensions comes just days after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced plans to end some military activities along its border with North Korea, as well as restore a 2018 military agreement with its neighbor.

WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO ‘ROCKET MAN’ AND NORTH KOREA’S THREATS OVER DENUCLEARIZATION

The agreement ended some military activities at the border between the two countries, including creating buffer zones on land and sea and no-fly zones above the border to prevent fighting. It also ended military drills near the border and removed some guard posts along the Demilitarized Zone.

The deal was signed at an inter-Korean summit in 2018, but it eventually fell apart as cross-border tensions ensued.

NORTH KOREAN AVOIDS LAND MINES TO CROSS DMZ INTO SOUTH KOREA AS SEOUL SOFTENS STANCE ON PYONGYANG

South Korea also dismantled its speakers along the border that had broadcast anti-North Korea messaging for years, a move Pyongyang reciprocated.

Lee said his government would continue to make “gradual steps to restore the September 19 Military Agreement.”

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“I hope that North Korea will reciprocate our efforts to restore trust and revive dialogue,” he added.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Anti-corruption protests rocked the Serbian capital of Belgrade as student-led demonstrators clashed with supporters of President Aleksandar Vucic and his political party, demanding new elections.

Violent clashes between anti-government protesters and Serbian security forces have intensified over the last week, with protesters setting fire to an office building belonging to the ruling party in Novi Sad.

“You will see the full determination of the Serbian state. We will use everything at our disposal to restore law, peace and order,” President Vucic said in an address to the nation Saturday night.

SERBIA ROCKED BY ANTI-CORRUPTION PROTESTS AFTER CONSTRUCTION TRAGEDY

Tens of thousands of college students have been marching and protesting since December, demanding justice and accountability after the deaths of 16 people in the collapse of a railway station in the Serbian town of Novi Sad. The canopy at the railway station collapsed Nov. 1 after renovations led by two Chinese companies.

The government is accused of not implementing student demands, including the release of all documentation related to the reconstruction of the train station. In his speech, Vucic said that justice must be served for all those responsible for the 16 victims of the Novi Sad rail station collapse.

Critics have called out the heavy-handed response used against protesters. Alan Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, said in a post on X that he was concerned with the rising violence.

SERBIA, CAUGHT BETWEEN EUROPE AND RUSSIA, COULD MOVE ONE STEP CLOSER TO NORMALIZING RELATIONS WITH KOSOVO

“I call for calm and respect of the right to peaceful assembly. Serbian authorities must uphold Council of Europe standards. The rule of law and respect for human rights must prevail,” Berset said.

Serbia’s foreign minister, Marko Djuric, responded to the criticism in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We respect and protect peaceful protest—it is part of our democratic fabric. But when demonstrations turn into physical attacks and attempts to destabilize the country, the government has both the right and the duty to respond.”

SERBIA, CAUGHT BETWEEN EUROPE AND RUSSIA, COULD MOVE ONE STEP CLOSER TO NORMALIZING RELATIONS WITH KOSOVO

“This is by far the biggest threat Vucic has faced in the last 13 years, and it is very unlikely that Vucic will weather the storm without elections,” Helena Ivanov, senior fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital.

“The country is not functioning, and the situation is dangerously escalating. The only way out of the problem is to hold free and fair elections as soon as possible. “Everything else will further destabilize the situation, which could have devastating consequences,” Ivanov added.

The government is accused of not fulfilling one of the original student demands, including the release of all documentation related to the reconstruction of the train station.

What originally started as spontaneous protests voicing dissatisfaction with the government’s failed response to the railway catastrophe transformed into a movement opposing widespread corruption and the erosion of the rule of law under Vucic.

One of the largest protests in Serbia’s history took place on March 15, with nearly 350,000 people gathered in Slavija Square in central Belgrade.

Serbia’s then-Prime Minister Milos Vucevic announced his resignation in January amid the nationwide protests, making him the most senior government member to step down.

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“Serbian students put forward several demands, the first and most important being the release of documentation regarding the reconstruction of the Novi Sad train station, where the collapse of the canopy killed 16 people. To this day, no one has been held accountable,” Filip Ubović, a student from the University of Belgrade and protest participant on the ground in Belgrade, told Fox News Digital.

Ubovic said the protests were originally aimed at influencing the institutions responsible for upholding the rule of law, and not directly against the ruling party. As the government failed to hold any officials accountable for the tragedy or release any information on the canopy collapse, the protesters realized that it was time to demand elections.

Israel took out a terrorist during an airstrike earlier this month who was involved in the abduction of an Israeli man on Oct. 7, 2023, authorities said Tuesday. 

The strike, which occurred in Gaza on Aug. 10, killed Jihad Kamal Salem Najjar, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, announced. 

“A small part of my closure happened today. Thank you to the IDF, the Shin Bet, and everyone who took part in the elimination of one of the terrorists who kidnapped me on October 7,” Yarden Bibas said in a statement provided by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. “Thanks to you, he will not be able to harm anyone else.

EX-ISRAELI OFFICIAL OFFERS BOLD 2-PRONGED STRATEGY AS ‘THE ONLY WAY’ TO FREE HOSTAGES FROM HAMAS

“Please take care of yourselves, heroes. I am waiting for full closure with the return of my friends David and Ariel, and the remaining 48 hostages,” he added. 

Najjar was involved in the invasion of the Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the hardest hit during the deadly Oct. 7 attacks, where Bibas was kidnapped. Bibas’ family was kidnapped separately and was eventually murdered while in captivity. 

He spent 480 days as a hostage before he was released in January. His wife, Shiri, and their two young children, Ariel and Kfir, were killed before their bodies were returned to Israel. 

While in captivity, Bibas was forced to make a hostage film in which he was seen breaking down as Hamas claimed his wife and children had been killed. 

ISRAEL RECOVERS REMAINS OF THREE MORE BODIES HELD BY HAMAS: ‘NO VICTORY UNTIL LAST HOSTAGE RETURNS’

Hamas often uses hostage videos as part of what the IDF calls “psychological terror.”

Upon his release, Bibas’ family said that “a quarter of our heart has returned to us after 15 long months. … Yarden has returned home, but the home remains incomplete.”

In the aftermath of Hamas’ attack, the Bibas family became a symbol of the terror group’s cruelty. Video footage of Shiri Bibas holding her two red-headed children in her arms went viral across the globe. 

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In April, Israel said it had killed Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Awad, a senior commander in the Palestinian Mujahideen terrorist organization and who helped lead “several” attacks on the Nir Oz kibbutz.

Russia launched its largest attack of the month against Ukraine while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders at the White House.

The attack also comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with Trump in Alaska last Friday, during which Putin refused an immediate ceasefire and demanded that Ukraine give up its eastern Donetsk region in exchange for an end to the conflict that began with a February 2022 invasion by Moscow. Trump later said he had spoken on the phone with Putin about arrangements for a meeting between the Russian president and Zelenskyy.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 270 drones and 10 missiles into Ukraine on Monday night and into Tuesday, but that 230 drones and six missiles were intercepted or suppressed. The air force reported that 40 drones and four missiles struck across 16 locations, and debris was said to have fallen on three sites.

TRUMP’S PUSH FOR PUTIN-ZELENSKYY TALKS HINGES ON KREMLIN’S CONDITIONS

“While hard work to advance peace was underway in Washington, D.C. … Moscow continued to do the opposite of peace: more strikes and destruction,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. “This once again demonstrates how critical it is to end the killing, achieve a lasting peace, and ensure robust security guarantees.”

Energy infrastructure in the central Poltava region was a target of the strikes, according to Ukraine’s Energy Ministry. The casualty figures were not immediately released by officials.

WHITE HOUSE REJECTS ‘BLANK CHECKS’ FOR UKRAINE, PRESSES NATO TO SHOULDER COSTS

“As a result of the attack, large-scale fires broke out,” the ministry said in a statement.

Oil refining and gas facilities were attacked, the ministry added, saying the strikes were the latest “systematic terrorist attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which is a direct violation of international humanitarian law.”

The attack was the largest since Russia launched 309 drones and eight missiles into Ukraine on July 31, according to the air force.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 23 Ukrainian drones on Monday night and into Tuesday morning.

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Both sides have been targeting infrastructure, including oil facilities.

Zelenskyy had criticized Moscow for earlier strikes on Monday ahead of his meeting at the White House in which at least 14 people were killed and dozens more were injured.

“The Russian war machine continues to destroy lives despite everything. Putin will commit demonstrative killings to maintain pressure on Ukraine and Europe, as well as to humiliate diplomatic efforts. That is precisely why we are seeking assistance to put an end to the killings,” he wrote Monday morning on X.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Two German warplanes were scrambled overnight from Romania after Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack in Ukraine less than a mile from the NATO borderline.

Romania’s Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday that two German Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, stationed at Romania’s Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base as part of NATO’s Enhanced Air Policing mission, were deployed “to monitor the air situation,” but noted that this time no Russian aircraft or projectiles crossed the NATO border.

Despite last week’s talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump, Moscow has continued its aerial bombardment of Ukraine, including in an overnight attack that targeted oil and port facilities in the Odesa region on and near the Danube River, which separates the Ukrainian border with the allied NATO nation of Romania. 

RUSSIA LAUNCHES LARGEST ATTACK ON UKRAINE THIS MONTH FOLLOWING TRUMP’S MEETINGS WITH PUTIN, ZELENSKYY

The deployment of NATO jets comes after numerous incidents in recent weeks have increasingly threatened, and even crossed, NATO borders as the U.S. and Europe continue to push for Russia to end its war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported early on Wednesday that more than 60 drones and ballistic missiles were fired across Ukraine overnight, including the northeastern region of Sumy, where a drone strike injured 14 people — though Ukraine’s Air Force later increased the number of overnight drone strikes to 93, and noted that 62 of the Shahed-style drones were intercepted, as well as one ballistic missile.

“A family with wounded children — 5 months, 4 years, and 6 years old — sought assistance after the attack,” Zelenskyy said. 

A glide bomb in Donetsk damaged five apartment buildings, and three people were still trapped under the rubble as of Wednesday morning.

JOINT CHIEFS, NATO COUNTERPARTS TO DISCUSS UKRAINE SECURITY GUARANTEES AFTER TRUMP SUGGESTS US AIR SUPPORT

“The rescue operation continues,” Zelenskyy added, though he did not confirm how many others were injured in the strikes.

“All of these are demonstrative strikes that only confirm the need to put pressure on Moscow, the need to impose new sanctions and tariffs until diplomacy is fully effective,” Zelenskyy said on X. “I thank all partners who are helping to stop this Russian war. Together with the United States, Europe, and all those who seek peace.

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“We need strong security guarantees to ensure a truly reliable and lasting peace,” he added. 

The strikes come as NATO nations prepare to meet virtually on Wednesday to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine following high-level talks first between Trump and Putin on Friday, and then Trump, Zelenskyy and top NATO leaders at the White House on Monday. 

The thousands of Ukrainian children abducted since Russia’s invasion began 3½ years ago are once again at the forefront of international discussions as NATO leaders convened to discuss the war.

Following Russia’s deadly 2022 invasion, Ukrainian children have been among the war’s chief victims, with Kyiv confirming that there have been at least 19,546 cases of unlawful deportation and forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia, Belarus or Russian-occupied territory, by Russian authorities.

Some reports have suggested the number of forcibly transported Ukrainian children could be significantly higher, ranging closer to 35,000 abductions, many of whom are feared to have been illegally adopted. 

‘JUST EVIL’: TOP REPUBLICAN DETAILS RUSSIA’S ‘HORRIFIC’ MASS ABDUCTIONS OF UKRAINIAN CHILDREN

Fox News Digital could not confirm if NATO leaders, who convened on Wednesday for a debriefint by U.S. military leaders, will include how to remedy the immense human rights violations targeting Ukrainian children as they look to establish security guarantees, possibly as soon as this week.

But President Donald Trump, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday followed by a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO leaders on Monday, said the issue of forcibly deported Ukrainian children “is a subject at the top of all lists.”

The issue was reignited after first lady Melania Trump sent a letter to Putin, which Trump hand-delivered during his meeting on Friday, in which she said “it is time” to restore children’s “dream of love, possibility and safety from danger.”

“A simple yet profound concept, Mr. Putin, as I am sure you agree, is that each generation’s descendants begin their lives with a purity — an innocence which stands above geography, government, and ideology,” she wrote. 

The first lady did not specifically mention the war in Ukraine, though her letter, first obtained by Fox News Digital, was championed by Kyiv. 

UKRAINE’S ‘UNDERGROUND RAILROAD’ RESCUES ABDUCTED UKRAINIAN CHILDREN FROM RUSSIAN REEDUCATION CAMPS

Zelenskyy appeared to surprise Trump by handing him a letter written by his wife, Olena Zelenska, intended for the first lady. 

The contents of the second letter have not been disclosed, but Trump noted his wife’s compassion when it comes to the issue of children, a topic Zelenska has also worked to address. 

“She sees the heartbreak, the parents, the funerals that you see on television, always funerals,” Trump said. 

Some children have been returned to Ukraine incrementally through the help of third-party mediators, like Qatar and the Vatican, though reporting suggests only some 1,500 have been released by Russian authorities. 

Ukrainian negotiators have been pushing for the return of the Ukrainian children for months as they meet with Russian counterparts in Turkey.

While prisoner-of-war swaps have been agreed to, Zelenskyy said Russian officials have refused to hand over any Ukrainian children directly to Kyiv. 

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“We cannot reach an agreement with them on the return of the children,” Zelenskyy told reporters last week, adding that despite attempts it remains “impossible” without the help of other parties involved. 

“That is why we wanted to get certain matters settled in this trilateral track — ceasefire, an all-for-all exchange and the return of children,” he added. “This is something everyone benefits from. President Trump benefits, the Russians lose nothing, the Ukrainians lose nothing. It’s a fair compromise.”

A Russian drone may have crashed in a field in Poland, a move the country’s deputy prime minister called a “provocation” as the United States and European leaders continue to push Moscow to end its war in Ukraine. 

The drone hit a cornfield in the village of Osiny in the eastern Lublin province, about 62 miles from Poland’s border with Ukraine, Reuters reported. 

Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, who also serves as defense minister, said Wednesday’s incident was similar to cases in which Russian drones flew into Lithuania and Romania and could be linked to efforts to end the war in Ukraine, according to the outlet. 

NEW ROMANIAN LAW MAY HAVE AVERTED NATO CLASH WITH RUSSIA AFTER BORDER STRIKES

“Once again, we are dealing with a provocation by the Russian Federation, with a Russian drone. We are dealing with it in a crucial moment, when discussions about peace (in Ukraine) are underway,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told journalists.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pawel Wronski told Reuters some experts have suggested a Russian version of the Shahed drone developed by Iran was involved in the latest incident.

Polish Gen. Dariusz Malinowski said the drone had a Chinese engine and appeared to be a decoy that was designed to self-destruct.

The blast shattered windows in several homes, but nobody was injured, the Polish PAP news agency reported.

Police recovered burnt metal and plastic debris at the site.

NATO JETS SCRAMBLED AMID RUSSIA’S LARGEST DRONE ATTACK ON UKRAINE

“I was sitting in my room at night, around midnight, maybe, and I heard something just bang,” local resident Pawel Sudowski told local news website Lukow.tv. “It exploded so loudly that the whole house simply shook.”

On X, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said his ministry would issue a protest against the airspace violation without naming the perpetrator. 

“Another violation of our airspace from the East confirms that Poland’s most important mission towards NATO is the defence (sic) of our own territory,” he wrote. 

The incident came as the Trump administration continues to broker talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the bloody three-year conflict. On Monday, Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a group of European leaders at the White House.

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On Friday, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. 

Pope Leo XIV is shaking up tradition at the Vatican — moving into a newly renovated papal apartment and bringing four roommates, according to reports.

Leo plans to share his new residence, which is undergoing a major revamp, marking the first time in modern history that a pope has decided to live communally in the palace’s official quarters, The Telegraph reported.

“It seems to be new to me,” Vatican correspondent Iacopo Scaramuzzi told the U.K. outlet. “I don’t know if that takes account of the long history of the Church, but certainly in the modern era.”

Among those reportedly joining him is his Peruvian personal secretary, Father Edgard Rimaycuna, who is often seen at Leo’s side. A trusted adviser and close friend since the Pope’s early pastoral years in South America, Father Edgard, is thought of as one of Leo’s most loyal companions.

PIZZA FOR POPE SURVIVED VAN BREAKDOWN, TSA SECURITY AND MORE DRAMA BEFORE FINALLY REACHING CATHOLIC LEADER

“In my opinion, Leo is definitely different to Francis but not that different,” Scaramuzzi added. “He is returning to the papal apartments, but not like a king.”

The shared living arrangement is said to reflect the community ethos of the Augustinians, the order of friars to which Leo belongs. 

The move also contrasts with Pope Francis, who said no to moving into the papal apartments when he was ordained in 2013, choosing instead a Vatican guesthouse.

MORNING GLORY: POPE LEO XIV (AND PRESIDENT TRUMP)

The Apostolic Palace, where the apartment lies, dates back to the 15th century and also houses papal offices, museums and the Sistine Chapel. 

Italian media outlet La Repubblica reported this week that renovations to the apartment are ongoing. 

The 10-room suite, located on the palace’s third floor, has also undergone repairs for water infiltration and humidity after years of disuse.

ILLINOIS TOWN MOVES TO SEIZE POPE LEO XIV’S CHILDHOOD HOME THROUGH EMINENT DOMAIN, CONVERT TO HISTORIC SITE

The Vatican has remained “tight-lipped about the latest restructure,” according to The Telegraph, though technicians have been at work for months. 

When Francis died in April, the papal apartments were sealed in a ritual before being reopened for renovation. Since then, Pope Leo has been living in the Sagrestia building near St. Peter’s Basilica.

POPE LEO XIV INSPIRES OVER A MILLION YOUNG CATHOLICS AT ROME FAITH GATHERING

This isn’t the first time Leo XIV has opted for a modern touch. Born to a working-class immigrant family in Chicago, he grew up modestly before joining the priesthood. 

In 2024, he told Vatican News that he strives to stay grounded.

“A bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but rather called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves, to walk with them and to suffer with them,” he said.

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Reaction to Leo’s move has been mixed online. Earlier this year, author James Martin wrote on X: “We need to trust Pope Leo’s discernment in this and all things — and wish him well in his new digs!”

The NATO Chiefs of Defense reaffirmed support for Ukraine in a virtual meeting Wednesday in Brussels that included all 32 allied military leaders and featured the first briefing in this format led by U.S. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the new Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).

U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine attended the meeting virtually, along with Grynkewich, who also leads U.S. European Command, U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News on Tuesday.

NATO officials said in a statement that the “candid discussion” centered on what security guarantees the alliance might provide Ukraine as part of a potential peace agreement to end Russia’s three-year war.

Col. Martin O’Donnell, spokesperson for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, wrote on X that “the Supreme Allied Commander was honored to brief the Chiefs of Defense, his first in such a format. As he has said before, ‘these are consequential times.’”

JOINT CHIEFS, NATO COUNTERPARTS TO DISCUSS UKRAINE SECURITY GUARANTEES AFTER TRUMP SUGGESTS US AIR SUPPORT

“NATO has faced important times before — and these have only made our Alliance stronger. As we work through these important issues, we will all stay informed, engaged, and united in the defense of the Euro-Atlantic region and with NATO’s ongoing support to Ukraine as progress towards peace continues,” he added.

The chair of NATO’s Military Committee also praised the discussions, writing on X that it was a “great, candid discussion among NATO Chiefs of Defence” and an “excellent update on the security environment from our new SACEUR, his first with us.”

The chair added that the meeting confirmed support for Ukraine, emphasizing the alliance’s focus on a “just, credible and durable peace” and praising the “relentless courage” of Ukrainian forces.

EUROPEAN ‘COALITION OF THE WILLING’ FORMS UNITED FRONT AS TRUMP PUSHES PUTIN-ZELENSKYY SUMMIT

NATO SCRAMBLES WARPLANES AS RUSSIA HITS NEAR ROMANIAN BORDER IN UKRAINE

According to the Associated Press, assurances that Ukraine won’t face another invasion are seen as central to any settlement, with Kyiv pressing for Western-backed military commitments, including weapons and training. European allies are working on options for a multinational security force that could backstop a peace deal.

Wednesday’s virtual session unfolded against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s push to steer Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy toward a settlement. Trump met with Putin last Friday in Alaska and hosted Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House on Monday. 

The reaffirmations come a day after Caine convened a smaller meeting in Washington with defense chiefs from Germany, the U.K., France, Finland and Italy to prepare for Wednesday’s broader NATO discussions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized NATO discussions on Ukraine’s security conducted without Moscow’s involvement, warning that “this will not work” and vowing Russia would “ensure its legitimate interests firmly and harshly,” RIA Novosti reported, according to AP.

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The White House did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.