US visa clash exposes Sudan’s forgotten war as foreign powers compete for strategic foothold

UNITED NATIONS — Sudan’s military leader is openly defying a U.S.-backed ceasefire push after Washington withheld his visa to attend the U.N. General Assembly, exposing a widening rift over a war that has become not only one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, but also a regional struggle for influence stretching to the Red Sea.

Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s armed forces and de facto leader, had been expected in New York during UNGA before the Trump administration withheld his visa amid a dispute over a proposed 90-day humanitarian truce. Days later, Burhan struck a defiant tone from Khartoum.

"We will keep our heads high. We will not accept bargaining, sell ourselves cheaply to anyone or bow to anyone," Burhan said Saturday, according to Anadolu Agency. "We do not need a visa to any country or anyone’s permission."

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The State Department has accused both Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, of failing to make serious commitments to an immediate truce.

"Neither the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces, nor their respective leaders, represent legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Sept. 22, adding that the conduct of both leaders renders them "ineligible to govern the country."

The State Department said both sides had instead intensified combat operations and drone strikes that killed civilians and said Washington had repeatedly asked them to accept a humanitarian truce "without preconditions" and commit to an inclusive political dialogue leading to civilian government.

But a senior advisor to Burhan disputed Washington’s account in an on-camera interview with Fox News Digital on the sidelines of UNGA.

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Dr. Amjad Farid Al-Tayyib, the foreign affairs advisor to Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, said Sudan never rejected the American ceasefire proposal and instead submitted technical comments on it.

"We never rejected this proposal," Farid said. "The Sudanese government wants war with no one."

Farid said a negotiating team had intended to accompany Burhan and accused Washington of undermining the very diplomatic process it was seeking to advance by preventing the delegation from traveling.

The State Department declined to comment on Burhan’s specific visa case, citing its policy of not discussing individual visa decisions. A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on background that Washington is instead focused on a broader diplomatic framework with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE through the Quad, linking a humanitarian truce and sustained aid access to a permanent ceasefire, civilian transition and reconstruction.

"We are working with our partners to encourage the parties to agree to the humanitarian truce and guarantee humanitarian access, and to also ensure external military or financial support to the warring parties is cut off," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the Quad supports the Quintet-led civilian political track and rejects parallel diplomatic processes that could fragment negotiations.

The United Nations also challenged Washington over the visa decision. "We immediately raised with the U.S. authorities the issue regarding the denial of visa to the President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of the Sudan, who was scheduled to address the General Assembly this week," U.N. Secretary-General spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told Fox News Digital.

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Cameron Hudson, a former director for African affairs on the National Security Council who also served as chief of staff to successive U.S. presidential special envoys for Sudan, said his understanding was that Washington had asked the Sudanese to send a delegation both to the U.N. and to Washington for talks on a ceasefire.

He said the Sudanese were preparing to do so before Washington, in his understanding, made Burhan’s visa contingent on signing the ceasefire agreement before traveling.

"It doesn’t fully make sense why the United States took this decision at the last minute," Hudson told Fox News Digital.

Farid said the central dispute is whether the RSF would be required to withdraw from civilian areas it controls. He argued that freezing current lines of control risks turning a temporary ceasefire into a de facto partition of Sudan.

The dispute comes against the backdrop of a brutal civil war that erupted in April 2023 following a power struggle between Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti.

Both sides have been accused of serious violations, but Hudson told Fox News Digital that treating their records as interchangeable obscures an important distinction.

"The RSF is committing war crimes on a scale and with an intention that the army does not," Hudson said.

Hudson said SAF has struck civilian targets and committed war crimes, including through drone attacks, but said the RSF’s record goes significantly further.

"They have committed mass rape, mass killing, torture, sexual enslavement," Hudson said, arguing that Western descriptions of "both sides" can create the impression that the two forces are committing the same crimes "on the same scale or with the same intention."

U.N. investigators have also drawn distinctions while documenting abuses by both forces.

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A U.N. fact-finding mission reported in September 2025 that both SAF and RSF were responsible for direct, large-scale attacks against civilians and the destruction of critical civilian infrastructure. But it found that the RSF, particularly during its siege of El Fasher and surrounding areas, committed crimes against humanity including murder, torture, enslavement, rape, sexual slavery, forced displacement and persecution on ethnic, gender and political grounds.

A separate U.N. Human Rights Office report released in February documented more than 6,000 killings during the first three days of the RSF’s final offensive on El Fasher and found that the violations could amount to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.

Farid nevertheless accused the U.N. and Western governments of creating what he called a ‘false equivalence’ between Sudan’s military and the RSF.

"The U.N. is not staying neutral," he told Fox News Digital, arguing that international institutions have documented RSF atrocities without taking sufficient action against the group or those supporting it.

Farid nevertheless accused the U.N. and Western governments of creating what he called a false equivalence between Sudan’s military and the RSF.

U.N. Secretary-General spokesman Stéphane Dujarric rejected the allegation that the organization was equating the two sides. "This is not about equating two sides," Dujarric told Fox News Digital. "We focus on the facts, the violations that have been documented, and above all, the devastating toll this war has taken on civilians since 15 April 2023."

Dujarric said both the RSF and SAF have used explosive weapons in densely populated areas and that the U.N. Human Rights Office has documented attacks affecting schools, hospitals, markets and religious sites.

He pointed specifically to what he described as "particularly grave violations" by the RSF and affiliated forces in Darfur, including mass killings, sexual violence, torture, abductions and forced displacement, while noting that serious abuses have also been documented in SAF-controlled areas, including arbitrary detention, torture, ill-treatment and summary executions.

The war, meanwhile, increasingly extends beyond Sudan’s borders.

Foreign backing has become a central feature of the conflict. A July 2026 UK government assessment, drawing on U.N. and other reporting, said the RSF had benefited from support networks involving the UAE and neighboring countries, while SAF had received backing from states including Egypt, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey. The UAE has repeatedly denied providing military support to the RSF.

Fox News Digital reached out to the UAE Embassy in Washington and the UAE mission to the U.N. but did not receive a response in time for publication.

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Hudson said the RSF’s foreign relationships are only part of a much larger regional competition.

He said Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Qatar have supported the army to varying degrees, while outside powers pursue their own strategic interests in Sudan.

That competition increasingly centers on Sudan’s Red Sea coastline. "There is a regional battle of influence among neighboring states and regional states who want to be able to control Sudan’s Red Sea coastline," Hudson said, pointing to potential military, port and economic access.

"Superimposed on top of the conflict inside Sudan is a regional proxy conflict for influence in Sudan and in the wider Horn of Africa, Red Sea region," he said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also said foreign powers are central to prolonging the war. "What’s happening in Sudan would not be happening were it not for external actors supporting one side or the other," Rubio told reporters during UNGA week, describing U.S. efforts to secure even limited humanitarian agreements as "very frustrating."

Rubio said the parties have repeatedly agreed to commitments only to abandon them when one side believes it is gaining the upper hand. "There are external actors. I’m not going to single them out. You know who they are," Rubio said. "That war and that conflict and that crisis would not be happening were it not for the active participation of external actors that are feeding one side of that conflict or another."

He said meaningful progress would depend on those states pressuring their respective partners in Sudan.

"Until those external actors are prepared to use influence and pressure their respective proxies to live up to the commitments that they’re making, we’re not going to make progress," Rubio said.

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Sudan’s strategic value goes beyond geography. The country has significant gold, agricultural and livestock resources and sits at the crossroads of Africa and the Middle East. The World Bank has described Sudan as rich in fertile land, water and minerals, while noting its substantial gold production and agricultural potential.

Sudan also controls critical infrastructure used to transport South Sudanese crude oil to the Red Sea. A World Bank assessment says South Sudan’s oil has historically traveled through pipelines across Sudan to Port Sudan, its key export route.

Hudson said that broader regional competition helps explain why Washington has struggled to force Sudan’s outside backers to pull away.

"The United States is not going to use the limited political capital that it has with Saudi Arabia or Egypt or Turkey or UAE to get them to control their support to one side or the other in this conflict," he said.

Hudson also questioned Washington’s diplomatic strategy, arguing that pressure on Burhan has not been matched by sufficient direct engagement inside Sudan.

He said Massad Boulos, President Donald Trump’s senior advisor for Arab and African affairs, has never traveled to Sudan while attempting to mediate the conflict.

"He’s trying to mediate peace in a country that he’s never been to," Hudson said, arguing that Washington needs more "personal diplomacy" and less reliance on public statements and social media.

"If we want these people to sign a ceasefire deal, then they have to trust us," Hudson said. "And right now we’ve given them no reason to do so."

The U.N. acknowledged that international efforts have so far failed to stop the fighting. "Unfortunately, we are not seeing the war abating," Dujarric said, reiterating the U.N. position that "there is no military solution to the conflict," and noting Washington’s diplomatic role as the US and African Union co-chaired a Sept. 23 meeting bringing together the Quad and Quintet diplomatic groupings.

"The immediate priority is to stop the killing and secure a cessation of hostilities, while creating the conditions for a credible political process," he said.

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Iran under scrutiny after plot foiled near UK base used by US military

Just days after left-wing British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband shook hands with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s top diplomat at the United Nations, U.K. authorities arrested five men with possible links to Tehran who allegedly sought to bomb a military base in Fairford used by American forces.

Armed officers arrested the five suspected terrorists who were traveling in three vans reportedly packed with explosive material. The authorities seized the five British nationals and the vans a mere 350 yards from the military base, which is used by the U.S. Army to launch air strikes against military targets in Iran.

Speaking from London on Monday, Nile Gardiner, the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital, "I think it is highly likely it was an Iranian orchestrated attack. It is stunning that they have released terrorist suspects on bail. It strikes me as entirely insane. The suspects appear to be Muslim Islamists, judging by the picture."

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Gardiner said, "The British government is on a full appeasement drive toward Tehran. We saw that with Ed Miliband meeting with the Iranian foreign minister at the U.N. General Assembly. The U.K. does not want to get involved in the U.S.-led war against Tehran."

He said the current government is a "socialist appeasement-minded British administration that is incredibly weak on defense and national security."

The United States and Israel launched a joint military campaign on Feb. 28 to knock out Iran's nuclear weapons and missile systems.

A source familiar with the Fairford investigation had previously ⁠told Reuters that an Iranian-linked motive was considered the most likely, although a Russian sabotage operation or an Islamist plot were also being looked at as possibilities.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump said the suspects were "looking to do big damage." He added, "We had them under view for a long time, and we got them."

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that "when asked whether President Trump’s comments were accurate, the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said the Defence Secretary had been asked about them on the morning round and referred journalists to his words. He said the investigation was ongoing, and it would not be appropriate to comment further."

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The U.S. and U.K.-designated terrorist movement, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), put the British government on notice in July that military installations used to attack Iran are legitimate targets for retaliation.

Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which tracks Iran’s terrorist and spycraft activities in the United Kingdom, told Fox News Digital, "I believe Iran would have a motive for such a plot. This is because in July, authorities in Cyprus arrested a man accused of spying for Iran at RAF [Royal Air Force] Akrotiri. Iranian officials and media have also pointed to RAF Fairford specifically, dubbing it ‘an important matter for our self-defense’ amid Operation Epic Fury."

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Brodsky added, "Iran has a long history of launching terror plots in the U.K., via its Intelligence Ministry and the IRGC. It has long used criminal gangs as proxies to mask its involvement. So I suspect U.K. authorities are probing these angles as part of the investigation."

The U.K.’s Counterterrorism Policing Office said the five suspects were detained on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act and preparation of a terrorist act contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act.

Vicki Evans, counterterrorism policing senior national coordinator, deputy assistant commissioner, said, "This is a hugely complex and large-scale operation, involving local and national policing, the MOD, and local agencies, who are working together to progress the investigation and support for the community."

Evans added, "I am very aware of the levels of speculation about the motivation behind this incident, and the geopolitical questions that are being raised."

According to an X post by the Iranian regime’s embassy in London, "The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran to arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of RAF Fairford base."

The Iranian Embassy added "The Circulation of such fabricated speculations, particularly in the aftermath of the criminal acts of aggression committed by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Iranian people, will serve no purpose other than to fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the UK. The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to take appropriate legal measures, as necessary, to safeguard the rights and interests of the country and its people in response to misleading and damaging media narratives."

Barak Seener, senior fellow at the London-based Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital, "The British government has no sense of how to prioritize its national security interests. While British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the U.N. that the United Kingdom will not tolerate intimidation, threats, or hostile activity on British soil, he was sure to take a friendly picture with him, while purposely avoiding meeting any Israeli representative."

He added, "Similarly, at the Labor Party conference, Ed Miliband spent 15 seconds on Iran, and close to four minutes on Israel. This has led to an environment in which a suspected terror plot at RAF Fairford could take place."

A spokesperson for the British government told Fox News Digital, "The police have issued a statement this afternoon from the head of CTP. We don’t have any further comment at this early stage."

With respect to the Fox News Digital press query about Miliband's meeting with Araghchi at the U.N., the British government spokesperson sent Fox News Digital a readout of the meeting, "The Foreign Secretary told Araghchi that Iran should choose de-escalation and diplomacy instead of prolonging the war. He underlined the importance of restoring freedom of navigation and the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, stressing the impact continued disruption has on global security and economic stability.

"The Foreign Secretary reiterated the UK's unwavering resolve to combat threats from Iranian-linked groups in UK soil, including attacks on the British Jewish community. The Foreign Secretary made clear that Britain will not tolerate intimidation, threats or hostile activity on UK soil and set out the measures the Government has taken in response. He also raised the ongoing detention of Craig and Lindsay Foreman, repeating the UK's call for their immediate release and stressing that their welfare remains a priority for the Government."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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UK airbase terror suspects being released on bail as Iran denies connection

United Kingdom police are releasing five terror suspects on bail Monday after they were arrested on suspicion of a terror plot targeting a U.S. air base in Britain this weekend.

Laurence ​Taylor, head of ​Counter Terrorism Policing, confirmed that investigations into the five men are ongoing, "including ⁠that this may be actively committed ​by proxies ​or ⁠individuals either knowingly or unknowingly working on ⁠behalf ​of a ​foreign state." Meanwhile, the Iranian Embassy in the U.K. has denied any connection to the five men.

The Sunday night arrests came after a local resident and farmer in Gloucestershire told the BBC that she had called police late in the evening after coming across three white vans blocking a road near RAF Fairford air base. As she turned her car around, she told the BBC that her headlights illuminated a group of "hooded and masked men" who "panicked" upon being spotted and scrambled into a nearby woods.

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Authorities identified the five men as "U.K. nationals," but did not offer any further details.

RAF Fairford plays host to significant U.S. Air Force assets and has been used as a launching point for multiple U.S. operations in the war against Iran in recent months.

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Defense Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed that the local farmer had at least a "partial picture" of the incident.

"I do want to thank the member of the public who acted quickly and called this in," Streeting told the BBC.

"I would also just say, respectfully, that she has a partial picture. And I won't go beyond that, in terms of commenting on operational security matters," he added.

The local, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC that she was astounded it had been her 999 call that "foiled whatever plans they had," adding that she was surprised the base didn't have more significant surveillance and security.

Iran's Embassy vehemently denied any connection with the incident in a public statement on Monday.

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"The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in London categorically rejects and strongly condemns the recent unfounded and malicious speculations published by some British individuals and media outlets attempting to link Iran to arrest of five suspects in the vicinity of RAF Fairford base," the Embassy wrote on X.

"The Circulation of such fabricated speculations, particularly in the aftermath of the criminal acts of aggression committed by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Iranian people, will serve no purpose other than to fuel Iranophobia propaganda in the U.K.," the statement continued.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to take appropriate legal measures, as necessary, to safeguard the rights and interests of the country and its people in response to misleading and damaging media narratives," it added.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Foiled terror plot at bomber base signals wider threat to US military installations: expert

Five men arrested near a key U.S. bomber base in the U.K. on Sunday may have planned a "complex," coordinated attack with potentially far-reaching security implications for American military installations globally, a former U.S. intelligence official warned.

As counterterrorism police investigated after officers detained the suspects near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, a former Pentagon official also said President Donald Trump will ultimately be the one to decide the consequences if indeed the "trail leads to Tehran."

The men were initially held on suspicion of offenses under Britain’s Explosives Act before being arrested on terrorism charges in connection with the airfield, a key U.S. Air Force hub and the primary European base for American strategic bombers.

On Sunday, Trump said U.S. authorities had been monitoring the suspects prior to their capture.

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"We had them under investigation," Trump told reporters in Chicago. "They were looking to do big damage to our fort."

"It may have been Scotland Yard. I don't know. We worked with a lot of them. We had them under view for a long time, and we got them," Trump added.

According to Sky News, counterterrorism police were investigating whether Iran is linked to the suspected bomb plot.

Former Trump White House official Morgan Murphy told Fox News Digital that British authorities are leading the investigation alongside U.S. law enforcement and intelligence.

"Every phone, bank record and rental receipt will be run through British and American intelligence, and if the trail leads to Tehran, it will be found," Murphy clarified.

"But as American airmen and bombers seem to have been the target, Air Force investigators on the base, the FBI in London, and American intelligence will likely all work the case."

"If conclusive evidence proves Iran is behind an attempted attack on U.S. forces, the American President will ultimately decide how Tehran pays," Murphy added.

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Former Defense Intelligence Agency official Andrew Badger told Fox News Digital the number of suspects and vehicles involved raised the possibility of a sophisticated operation.

"We are going to see elevated security protocols across Europe, across the U.K., and across the entire world for any U.S. installation," he said.

"This is a very significant threat, and again, seeing that we had five individuals involved and three different reported vans at the scene, this could have been a very complex, highly orchestrated operation," Badger added.

"This isn't just some type of amateur lone wolf operation," he said, noting Fairford’s strategic importance to the U.S. military. "Fairford is also where the U.S. houses its strategic bombers for Europe as well as the rest of the world."

He said a potential attack posed broader risks beyond the airfield itself which he said "could have had significant security implications. It could have damaged the nearby area."

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"They could have tried to use a VBIED or a vehicle-borne explosive device where the first van could have gone off at the front gate, and then the other vans would have gone in and tried to go for the strategic bombers," Badger said.

British authorities have not publicly identified who they believe was behind the suspected plot or announced a motive, but RAF Fairford had taken on greater strategic importance during the war with Iran.

The U.K. government previously authorized U.S. forces to use the Royal Air Force bases Fairford and Diego Garcia for limited defensive operations, including destroying Iranian missiles and launchers at their source.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later warned that any base used to attack Iranian territory would be considered a legitimate target.

"Any base used to launch attacks on Iranian territory is a legitimate target for our forces," the IRGC said, according to reports.

"Tehran warned London in July to keep American bombers off Fairford, and if this plot traces back to Iran, the answer must be more bombers, not fewer," Morgan said.

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A local councilor told Reuters there had been a recent security alert at Fairford and surveillance had been stepped up.

"So there was a specific threat about six weeks ago from the Iranians on this base. At the time, there was increased surveillance around the area," he told the outlet.

Badger, however, cautioned against assuming Iran was responsible while pointing to other potential threats.

"This could be Iran trying to gain strategic leverage in negotiations, but there are other actors as well," Badger added.

"But there's Russia, who's been launching a campaign of gray zone or hybrid warfare attacks across Europe, as well as Islamic extremists, which are still a significant threat here in the U.K."

"Was this some type of retaliation by Iran to perhaps try to gain leverage or to try to inflict a cost for the U.S. withdrawing from these negotiations? Again, we don't know for sure, but it is a possibility," Badger said.

Badger also pointed to RAF Welford, a major U.S. ammunition storage facility that primarily supports operations at RAF Fairford.

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"RAF Welford is actually the second-largest weapons and ammunition depot in all of Europe," Badger said, noting that the facility where the U.S. stores ammunition "could have been a target as well."

"Other bases across Europe, including European and U.S. partners, have already been on a heightened state of alert," Badger continued.

"But of course, after this attack, I think they're going to be in an even more heightened state. You're going to have more frequent security patrols."

"There are reports that RAF Fairford was put onto what's called the Delta alert, which is the highest state of security alert within the military base system," Badger said.

"So this is basically that 'an imminent terrorist attack is inbound,'" he concluded.

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UK police arrest 'explosive' suspects near US airbase, key to Iran war

U.K. police say they arrested multiple suspects for offenses under the "Explosives Act" near a U.S. airbase in southwest England on Sunday.

Gloucestershire Police say the arrests took place just two miles from RAF Fairford, which hosts U.S. Air Force assets. The U.S. has recently used the base in operations relating to the war in IRan.

"A number of properties are currently being evacuated in the Whelford area following the declaration of a major incident," Gloucestershire Police said in a statement. "It follows the arrest of several men on suspicion of offenses under the explosives act."

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"The Army's specialist explosive ordnance disposal team are currently examining a number of vehicles," police added.

Authorities did not name the suspects or detail exactly how many were arrested.

British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting wrote on X that the situation is "being dealt with."

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"The Prime Minister is being kept updated on the incident in Gloucestershire," The UK Defense Ministry said in another statement.

"We are grateful to the emergency services, who have acted quickly to detain several suspects and put measures in place to keep the community safe," the statement continued.

"It would be inappropriate to comment further whilst investigations are ongoing," it added.

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The incident comes roughly a month after Iran-linked hackers were suspected of forcing a small British power generator offline for several days this summer.

The British shutdown came weeks after hackers struck more than 30 community water systems in Minnesota, accessing technology used to remotely monitor and control pumps and other equipment. Minnesota officials have not publicly attributed the attacks. Several news outlets, citing U.S. officials and a leaked industry threat-sharing memo, reported that Iran was the likely culprit.

Federal agencies have also warned that Iranian-affiliated actors have targeted similar industrial devices across water, energy and government sectors, seeking access to the software used to control them. That activity has already caused operational disruptions and financial losses.

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Finland's Stubb credits Trump for pushing Ukraine peace talks while dismissing Russian invasion fears

UNITED NATIONS — As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warns that Russia could take its war beyond Ukraine, Finnish President Alexander Stubb is striking a markedly calmer tone — saying Finland is prepared for Moscow and crediting President Donald Trump with pushing harder for a negotiated end to the war.

"I think we're certainly in a better place than we were before President Trump started," Stubb told Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. "He's doubled down in the past year and a half to try to find a solution for peace with negotiators such as Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and many others."

Stubb, who has been closely involved in the diplomatic effort, said he and Norway’s prime minister have worked largely "in the back office," relaying information among Ukraine, the United States and European governments.

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"I think he's really working hard and hopefully we'll get a solution," Stubb said.

The interview came during an intense diplomatic week in New York focused heavily on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in New York during UNGA week as Washington continued its effort to revive negotiations with Moscow. Zelenskyy said peace remained Ukraine's priority and thanked Trump for sending the two envoys to Kyiv after they had also held talks in Moscow.

Zelenskyy was asked by Fox News Digital after the meeting about the possibility that Russia could invade or attack another European country in the near future.

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"That's why the risk of offensive by drones, missiles or land operation is very high against other countries who are bordering Russia or Belarus," Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian leader argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin, unable to achieve his military objectives in Ukraine, could seek to create instability elsewhere in Europe to pressure Western governments into reducing their support for Kyiv. He pointed to drone incursions and disruptions affecting several European countries, arguing that Moscow is already attempting to intimidate European societies and test their response.

Asked by Fox News Digital what European countries should do in response to the growing threat, Zelenskyy offered a direct answer.

"Respond. Always respond. It's not about the war. If you don't respond, Russians, they will go further," he said.

But Stubb struck a notably calmer tone when asked about Zelenskyy’s warnings that Russia could eventually attack other European countries, including Finland, which shares the longest border with Russia.

"As commander-in-chief in Finland, I sit on all the relevant information and I just don't see a factual basis for it," Stubb said.

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That does not mean, he stressed, that Moscow has stopped targeting Europe.

Stubb distinguished between the "kinetic" war Russia is fighting in Ukraine and what he described as a broader "hybrid" campaign in Europe, pointing to cyberattacks, sabotage and damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea.

"We have to see this as a campaign," he said. "Russia tries to intimidate Europe, scare us and get into our heads."

His prescription was characteristically Finnish: "cool, calm and collected, take a sauna and a nice bath and deal with it."

Stubb said Finland, a country with a population of 5.6 million, can afford that attitude precisely because it has spent decades preparing for a potential threat from its eastern neighbor.

"We are calm because we are prepared," he said.

He pointed to Finland’s mandatory military service, reserve force, artillery, long-range capabilities and extensive network of civilian shelters. The Finnish Defence Forces puts Finland’s wartime military strength at 280,000 personnel, with additional reservists available if needed.

That deterrent received another boost just days before Stubb traveled to New York. Finland is acquiring 64 F-35A fighter jets to replace its F/A-18 Hornet fleet under a procurement decision announced by the Finnish government.

The first two F-35s intended for operations inside Finland arrived at the Lapland Air Wing in Rovaniemi on Sept. 18, according to a Finnish Defence Forces press release.

"We have obligatory military service. I did mine, my son did his. We have women who do it voluntarily. We have over 60 F-18s. We just bought 64 F-35s, the two first of which arrived. We have long-range missiles, air, land and sea. We have the capability to mobilize 280,000 troops within days in a conflictual situation. On top of that, we have land mines. And we have the biggest artillery in Europe together with Poland… On top of that, we have civilian shelters for over 4.4 million people out of 5.6."

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"We don't have them because we're worried about Sweden," Stubb joked of Finland’s military capabilities. "We have them because we see a security threat coming from Russia."

He said that level of preparedness, combined with Finland’s NATO membership, makes a direct Russian attack unlikely. Finland became NATO's 31st member on April 4, 2023, after abandoning its longstanding military non-alignment following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"We feel that we're very prepared, and that gives us a strong enough … deterrent that we don't believe that Russia is going to test a country like Finland," Stubb said. "And of course the icing on the cake is that we are now security providers in the Alliance NATO."

Stubb also used his Sept. 22 address to the U.N. General Assembly to advocate for continued support for Kyiv, calling the "Coalition of the Willing" supporting Ukraine "particularly close to my heart." He said the coalition was working toward a "just and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with the U.N. Charter."

Stubb made additional news on Ukraine during UNGA week, when he urged SpaceX owner Elon Musk to extend Starlink coverage so Ukrainian forces could use the satellite network in areas containing Russian ballistic missile launchers, including inside Russia. He argued that doing so could help Ukraine target launchers firing missiles at Ukrainian cities.

Yet Ukraine was only one piece of what Stubb described as an increasingly interconnected global security crisis.

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Asked about Trump’s call at the U.N. for countries to support efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, Stubb was unequivocal.

"I agree, Iran should not obtain nuclear weapons," he told Fox News Digital, adding that Tehran should not use proxies or be able to produce missiles.

Stubb also argued that the conflicts involving Russia and Iran can no longer be viewed in isolation, alleging that Moscow is providing intelligence to Tehran that Iran has used against U.S. military bases in the Gulf, while Iranian weapons have been supplied to Russia for use against Ukraine.

"We're going in this merry-go-round where every bit of the conflict is linked to another," Stubb said. "The sooner we can end both, the better."

Trump used his Sept. 22 U.N. General Assembly address to call for Iran's economic isolation and reiterate that Tehran should not obtain a nuclear weapon, while warning of further US military action if a peace agreement is not reached, according to Reuters. 

For Stubb, the proliferation of conflicts — from Ukraine and Iran to Gaza, Yemen and Sudan — is testing a diplomatic system already struggling to keep pace.

"It's not a zero-sum game," he said. "We have to deal with a multiplicity of conflicts right now, unfortunately."

And for Trump, he added, that means "working around the clock."

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Israeli UN envoy's Starlink video reaches millions, with nearly 40% of Instagram viewers in Iran

A viral video of Israel’s U.N. ambassador offering an Iranian representative a Starlink device has reached around 9 million views across social media — and nearly 40% of its Instagram viewers are in Iran, according to analytics shared with Fox News Digital.

A representative for Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon told Fox News Digital that the office was surprised by the video’s reach inside Iran, saying such an audience is unusual for Israeli diplomatic accounts.

"We couldn't imagine to be the popular," the representative said, referring to the video's reach in Iran.

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The representative said the encounter grew out of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the U.N. General Assembly, where Netanyahu displayed a Starlink device while delivering a message aimed at the Iranian people.

According to Danon’s representative, Netanyahu had prepared the Starlink element for his speech and asked that the device be offered to the Iranian delegation afterward. Danon then approached an Iranian representative with the device in an encounter captured on video.

The Iranian representative declined to take it.

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Danon later posted the exchange on social media, where the video quickly gained traction.

Instagram audience analytics shared with Fox News Digital show 39.9% of viewers were located in Iran, the largest share from any country. The U.S. accounted for 14.3%, followed by Israel at 12.6%, Canada at 5.9% and Germany at 4.1%.

The representative said Danon’s office viewed the unusually large Iranian audience as significant given the message accompanying the Starlink offer, which he described as one of freedom and freedom of expression for the Iranian people.

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But Danon’s office says another online trend emerged as the video spread.

The representative told Fox News Digital that accounts the office believes are Iranian began recirculating a years-old video of former Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan being escorted from the General Assembly during a protest against then-Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

The video dates to September 2023, when Erdan walked through the General Assembly holding a photograph of Mahsa Amini during Raisi’s speech.

One post recirculating the old video in recent hours has drawn hundreds of thousands of views while portraying the incident as a current confrontation involving Israel’s U.N. ambassador.

Danon’s representative characterized the renewed circulation as a "disinformation campaign" intended to counter the attention surrounding Danon’s video.

"From our perspective, the Danon video moved something in Iran," the representative told Fox News Digital, arguing that the Iranian regime was attempting to "change the story."

Fox News Digital's Emma Bussey contributed to this report.

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