Now that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire, all eyes are on the next continuing global conflict: Russia and Ukraine. 

President Donald Trump isn’t wasting any time directing his attention to the war in Ukraine, and is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House Friday as the president weighs arming Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles. 

Likewise, Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday and said that high-level advisors for the U.S. and Russia will meet the following week. Subsequently, he said he and Putin would meet in Budapest, Hungary, ‘to see if we can bring this ‘inglorious’ War, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end.’

Additionally, Trump said he believes that the Middle East deal could provide momentum to resolve the conflict in Europe. 

‘I actually believe that the Success in the Middle East will help in our negotiation in attaining an end to the War with Russia/Ukraine…I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,’ Trump said in a Thursday social media post. 

While the new peace agreement in the Middle East shares some parallels with the conflict in Europe due to increased pressure on adversaries, the conflicts are too different for Gaza to serve as a clear blueprint for Ukraine and Russia, according to experts. 

Rather, what the Middle East deal really does is pave the way for Trump to devote more of his energy to negotiating an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Whereas other foreign policy priorities were previously vying for Trump’s attention, now Ukraine and Russia are at the top of the list. 

‘The U.S. president can turn his attention to only so many issues at one time,’ Peter Rough, a senior fellow and director of the Center on Europe and Eurasia at the Hudson Institute think tank, told Fox News Digital in a Tuesday email. ‘Now that he has a framework in place in the Middle East, President Trump can train his sights squarely on the war in Ukraine.’ 

There are a lot of differences between the two conflicts — including the relative power between the two adversaries involved in each of the conflicts, experts said.

‘In the Middle East, Hamas was weaker than our ally in Israel,’ Rough said. ‘The challenge in Europe is that Russia is a major (nuclear) power astride the Eurasian landmass. It is larger and more powerful than our partner, Ukraine. This is why it’s so essential that the U.S. and Europe support Ukraine against Russia. Absent such support, it’s hard to convince Russia to accept a deal.’ 

The peace deal in the Middle East included a provision to return the hostages that were still in captivity within 72 hours of Hamas signing off on the deal. It also called for Israeli forces to withdraw its troops and a complete disarmament of Hamas.

John Hardie, Russia program deputy director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that another key difference between the conflicts is that Russia has refused to agree to a ceasefire unless Ukraine signs off on certain demands. Those demands previously have included barring Ukraine from ever joining NATO and concessions on some of the borders that previously belonged to Kyiv. 

‘In the Gaza war, Israel got some significant concessions in the ceasefire deal but also agreed to leave some major issues to be negotiated in a political process,’ Hardie said in a Tuesday email to Fox News Digital. ‘In Ukraine, by contrast, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has consistently refused to accept a ceasefire unless Kyiv first capitulates to non-starter demands even though Russia has virtually no prospect of imposing them by force.’ 

Meanwhile, Trump is ramping up pressure on Russia and told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday that he might send Ukraine Tomahawk cruise missiles should Russia refuse to ‘settle’ the conflict. Trump said he told Zelenskyy he may bring up the matter with Russia, because it is a ‘new step of aggression.’ 

The Tomahawk missiles can be fired from ships, submarines and ground assets to hit targets as far as 1,000 miles away, according to Raytheon, which manufactures the weapons. 

Moscow did not welcome the news, and Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev said in a post on Telegram that outfitting Ukraine with the missiles ‘could end badly for everyone … most of all, for Trump himself.’ 

Despite Russia’s claims that such a move from the U.S. would escalate tensions, equipping Ukraine with the missiles would actually put Kyiv on equal footing to fight back against Russia, according to Mick Ryan, a senior fellow for military studies at Australia’s Lowy Institute’s International Security Program. Ryan is an Australian army retired major general who also served as a strategist for the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon. 

‘Russia has employed missiles similar to Tomahawks since Day 1 of the full-scale invasion,’ Ryan said in a Monday X post. ‘This is NOT escalation. It is just leveling the playing field for a three-year-long Ukrainian long-range strike campaign that has now achieved critical mass and momentum.’ 

Zelenskyy said his Friday meeting with Trump would center around exerting more pressure on Russia in an attempt to secure peace through air defense and long-range capabilities. Additionally, Zelenskyy capitalized on the recent peace agreement in the Middle East, and said in a post on X Monday that ‘it is important not to lose the momentum in spreading peace.’ 

‘If I were Trump, I would focus my energies on supporting the Ukrainian military and pressuring Russia until Moscow signals it’s open to ending the war on more reasonable terms,’ Hardie said. 

Zelenskyy has visited the White House on multiple occasions since Trump took office again — including in February when he sparred with Trump and Vice President JD Vance over engaging in diplomacy with Russia to end the conflict.

The White House said that Russia should prioritize securing a deal swiftly, and that Trump believes he can deliver one. 

‘If they were smart, they would more urgently pursue a deal to end the war which has done significant damage to Russia’s reputation, stop the killing, and get their country back on the right track,’ a White House official said in a statement to Fox News Digital. ‘President Putin has repeatedly rejected generous proposals toward peace that would have benefited Russia. The President remains optimistic that he will be able to get both sides to stop the senseless killing.’

Senate Republicans’ plan to reignite the government funding process was torpedoed by Senate Democrats, who blocked a bill that would pay the troops as the federal government entered Day 16 of the shutdown.

The annual defense appropriations bill was blocked largely along party lines on Friday, with only a handful of Senate Democrats joining Republicans to advance the measure. While President Donald Trump made a temporary move to ensure that military service members were paid, that funding won’t last forever. 

The only Senate Democrats to cross the aisle were Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. Lawmakers are now headed home after a short week in Washington, D.C.

Had the bill advanced through its first procedural hurdle, lawmakers could have modified it to include other funding bills, a move that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., signaled he planned to make throughout the week.

However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats were unwilling to support the bill and argued that they wanted a guarantee on exactly which other spending bills would be added on to it down the line.

‘They need unanimous consent to add anything to the defense bill,’ Schumer said before the vote. ‘They don’t have it.’

Thune and Senate Republicans floated adding additional spending bills, like measures to fund Transportation, the Health and Human Services and Labor Departments, Housing and Urban Development, and Commerce, but first needed to blast through the procedural hurdle to do so.

‘If they want to stop the defense bill, I don’t think it’s very good optics for them, obviously,’ Thune said.

Part of Senate Democrats’ resistance to the bill is tied to the overall position against the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) to reopen the government, which they have so far blocked 10 times.

Like their argument with extending Obamacare subsidies, they demanded guarantees on what exactly Republicans would attach to the bill — a position that stemmed from an overall lack of trust between the parties that has ripped the partisan divide open even further this year.

‘We don’t have an agreement on anything,’ Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said. ‘So obviously we can’t. They’re still not negotiating.’

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., similarly argued that there was no bipartisan agreement on what exactly the package would look like.

‘We should be focused on fixing these healthcare premiums and getting the government back open,’ he said. ‘And, you know, just to bring up the one bill without the others is something we typically don’t do.’ 

Conservatives on social media joined White House accounts in blasting Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders over an exchange where he pressed a town hall audience member on who is to blame for the government shutdown. 

‘How do you think this shutdown reflects on Chuck Schumer’s leadership?’ Sanders was asked by an audience member, Rohan Naval, during a CNN town hall on Wednesday night.

Sanders responded by saying the shutdown ‘reflects more on Mike Johnson’s leadership’ along with the leadership of President Donald Trump, which prompted a smirk from the audience member.

‘Well, tell me how do you feel?’ Sanders said. ‘You tell me, you think it’s a good idea to give $1 trillion in tax breaks to the richest people in the country and then make massive cuts to healthcare for working-class people?’

Naval, an intern at Americans for Tax Reform, responded, ‘I think Chuck Schumer has voted for a continuing resolution 13 times in the last four years, and he has the opportunity to vote for one again, but he’s refusing to come to the table.’

The exchange quickly made waves on social media, with White House accounts and conservatives praising Naval’s response to the Vermont senator. 

‘Crazy Bernie just got wrecked on national television,’ the White House Rapid Response team posted on X. 

‘Bingo,’ GOP Rep. Ken Calvert posted on X. ‘The Schumer Shutdown is all about politics.’

‘Bernie Sanders got embarrassed HARD,’ Florida’s Voice News assistant director Eric Daugherty posted on X.

‘LOL this kid just rekt Crazy Bernie,’ White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson posted on X.

‘Bernie got COOKED,’ Townhall.com posted on X. ‘This guy just calmly smacked Bernie Sanders down in a single sentence. BRUTAL.’

‘Bernie Sanders gets owned by a man who calls out Chuck Schumer for repeatedly voting for continuing resolutions and now suddenly not,’ conservative influencer Paul A. Szypula posted on X. ‘The only reason Schumer isn’t funding the government is because he’s afraid of losing his Senate seat to brainless AOC.’

After Naval’s response, Sanders replied, ‘Look, here’s what I have said. There are 53 Republican senators, correct? They need 60. It means you have to talk to the other side. Mike Johnson is not talking. John Thune is not talking. President Trump is not talking. That is the problem.’

On Thursday, Senate Democrats for a 10th time blocked Republicans’ attempts to reopen the government.

Sen. John Thune is determined to continue on the same course of action to keep bringing the House-passed continuing resolution (CR), which would reopen the government until Nov. 21, up for a vote again and again.

Though some in the GOP are mulling a new end date for the CR, that would require the House, which has been out of session for nearly a month, to come back and pass a new one.

While Thune and Republicans are adamant that their plan is the only pathway to ending the shutdown, now on Day 16, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Senate Democratic caucus still want to hammer out a deal on expiring Obamacare subsidies — and they want Trump to get directly involved in negotiations.

‘The bottom line is [Republicans] won’t even negotiate with us,’ Schumer said. ‘So that’s a premature question. But of course, I’m not going to negotiate in public. We need to address the crisis that has afflicted, and that’s the right word, the American people.’

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump‘s flair for personal imprints is expanding beyond the White House grounds. 

A reportedly privately funded monument, dubbed the ‘Arc de Trump,’ is planned to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary next year, the latest in a series of renovation and design projects the former real estate developer has pursued since returning to the White House. Trump offered a glimpse of the project last week in the Oval Office, showing a model positioned on a rendering of the National Mall.

At a White House ballroom fundraising dinner on Wednesday, Trump shared additional details about the newest monument planned for the nation’s capital. He said he was presented with three arch models in varying sizes — small, medium and large — and said his preference was for the largest one.

The monument, a near twin of Paris’s iconic Arc de Triomphe, is meant to welcome visitors crossing the Memorial Bridge from Arlington National Cemetery into the heart of the nation’s capital.

It’s unclear when construction on the arch will begin or how much it will cost. Trump said Wednesday evening that remaining funds from the new White House ballroom project will go toward financing the arch. 

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for further comment.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has begun construction on a 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom. The sprawling addition, announced in July, will accommodate approximately 650 seated guests and will stay true to the classical design of the White House.

The White House currently lacks a formal ballroom, and the new structure is expected to replace the existing East Wing. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the new ballroom is estimated to cost $200 million and will be financed by Trump as well as private donors.

The ballroom isn’t the only update. Trump has introduced gold accents in the Oval Office and Cabinet Room, lined the ‘walk of fame’ with portraits of former presidents, including a photo of the autopen representing former President Joe Biden’s time in office, added stone pavers to the Rose Garden lawn and installed two 88-foot flagpoles.

Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., the No. 2 Democrat in the House of Representatives and the whip of the caucus, placed healthcare messaging at the center of the party’s attention in an interview with Fox News — even amid other questions about the party’s direction. 

‘Fighting for healthcare is our defining issue,’ Clark told senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram on Thursday when asked whether the age of the party’s candidates would play into the party’s considerations in the 2026 midterms.

‘Shutdowns are terrible and, of course, there will be, you know, families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously. But it is one of the few leverage items we have. It is an inflection point in this budget process where we have tried to get the Republicans to meet with us and prioritize the American people.’

The government ran out of funding on Oct. 1 after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on spending legislation for 2026, plunging the country into a shutdown that has gone on for 16 days. Democrats in Congress have made it clear they won’t support any funding package to reopen the government that doesn’t also include an extension of COVID-era Obamacare subsidies.

Those subsidies, which dramatically extended the pool of eligible applicants for enhanced premium tax credits as a part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan, are set to expire at the end of 2025. Several lawmakers from both parties have expressed alarm that letting them expire would leave millions of Obamacare policyholders — who took advantage of that extended eligibility — suddenly stuck with dramatically higher premiums overnight.

Open enrollment for the enhanced premium tax credits is set to start at the beginning of next month.

‘We are watching a crisis come at us,’ Clark said. ‘And this is the crisis of that.’

‘The marketplace, the ACA marketplace, open enrollment takes place on Nov. 1,’ she said, referring to Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA). ‘People are receiving their premium notices that they’re going to go to that marketplace and say, ‘I can’t afford this.’ That is a real crisis for American families. And it drives up the cost of healthcare for every single person, no matter where you get your health insurance from.’

Clark’s messaging echoes the position of other leaders in the Democratic Party, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who have similarly made healthcare a focus of their messaging on the shutdown.

Clark noted that Democrats perceive a heightened political leverage to push for an extension to the Obamacare credits in light of GOP-led changes to Medicaid that became law under Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) earlier this year.

‘This is a fight that we are waging on behalf of the American people who are telling us, ‘We’re not making it.’ And they deserve to have healthcare when they need it that they can afford and where they need it,’ Clark said.

Among other changes, the OBBBA pushed some of the costs of Medicaid back onto the individual states, implemented new reporting requirements and introduced slightly higher work requirements for certain demographics.

Republicans in the House have rebuffed Democratic demands to open negotiations on the Obamacare tax credits as a condition for re-opening the government. Some of the chamber’s most conservative lawmakers called the idea a ‘non-starter’ on Wednesday as the shutdown entered a third week.

The Senate voted for a 10th time on Thursday to reopen the government, but the vote failed amid the continued gridlock.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., accused the Democratic Party of being taken over by far-left ‘Marxists’ on Day 16 of the federal government shutdown.

The leader of the House of Representatives was visibly frustrated while speaking to reporters on Thursday, accusing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Democrat leaders of prolonging the fiscal standoff for political gain.

‘This is not your grandfather’s Democratic Party. It truly has become the far-left, Marxist-left, that are running that whole operation. And it has real effects on real people,’ Johnson said.

Senate Democrats have now rejected Republicans’ federal funding plan 10 times.

Republicans put forward last month a seven-week extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 funding levels, called a continuing resolution (CR), aimed at giving congressional negotiators more time to strike a long-term deal for FY2026.

But Democrats in the House and Senate were infuriated by being sidelined in those talks. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said their caucuses would not accept any deal that does not include serious healthcare concessions, at least extending COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year.

Johnson and Republicans have accused Schumer of kowtowing to pressure by progressives after he was key to helping the same funding bill pass the Senate in March, avoiding a shutdown earlier this year. That move saw Schumer face a barrage of attacks from his left flank.

‘The only explanation for this is that Chuck Schumer does not want to face the heat and the scrutiny and the abuse that he took in March for doing the right, responsible thing by the far-left voices in his party,’ Johnson said.

He said the ‘voices of the party’ were Democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., as well as New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

‘Look, Mamdani is on a path, shockingly, sadly, frighteningly, to become the elected mayor of the largest city in America, the once-cradle of capitalism. There is a Marxist rise in the Democratic Party,’ Johnson said.

‘The old guard — and I’m saying old guard, Chuck Schumer has been here for 44 years — he is not the flavor of the month, and he knows that he’s going to get a challenge. If it’s not AOC, it’ll be another disciple of Mamdani or somebody like that.’

He said Democrats ‘have to stand for the farthest-left ideas, socialism, communism, Marxism, right now to be in favor in the Democratic Party.’

Schumer, in turn, has criticized Johnson for his decision to keep the House in recess while the Senate’s fiscal standoff continues.

‘Republican leaders, especially Speaker Johnson, continue to dig in. The speaker has now kept the House Republicans on vacation for three weeks, as if they can make the issue go away by letting House Republicans hide. Well, the American people don’t have time for Republican inaction,’ Schumer said Wednesday.

A former security guard at the U.S. Embassy in Norway was convicted of spying on behalf of Russia and Iran, a report said. 

The 28-year-old Norwegian, whose identity has not been made public, was sentenced Wednesday to three years and seven months, The Associated Press reported. 

A Norwegian police official reportedly told Reuters at the time of the suspect’s arrest last November that he was working at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway’s capital. 

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday from Fox News Digital. 

Prosecutors alleged that the man handed over details about the embassy’s diplomats, its floor plans and security routines, among other information, Norwegian state broadcaster NRK reported. The broadcaster added that American ties to Israel and the war in Gaza prompted the man to contact Russia and Iran. 

The suspect acknowledged the indictment’s facts but denied any criminal guilt, according to the AP.

The man’s defense attorneys said in a statement Thursday that the verdict raises questions about what is considered espionage under Norwegian law. 

‘He lied about having security clearance to agents from other countries and exaggerated his own role,’ attorney Inger Zadig of Elden Law Firm told the AP. ‘He had roughly the same level of access as a janitor at the embassy. The information he shared was worthless and neither separately nor collectively capable of harming individuals or the security interests of any state.’ 

The defendant was found guilty of five espionage-related charges and was acquitted of gross corruption. His defense attorneys are weighing whether to appeal the verdict. 

At the time of his arrest last November, the man had been studying for a bachelor’s degree in security and preparedness at Norway’s Arctic University, UiT. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.