BRUSSELS (Reuters) -NATO and US authorities are in close contact about force posture, a NATO official said on Wednesday after Romania's defence ministry said allies were notified of U.S. plans to cut the number of troops stationed on Europe's eastern flank.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said Thursday that Russian military aircraft violated Lithuania’s airspace, calling the incursion a blatant breach of the country’s sovereignty and international law.

President Donald Trump met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte Wednesday, days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's White House visit.

NATO fighter jets intercepted a Russian spy plane over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, highlighting escalating East-West tensions amid fears of broader conflict. The encounter involved Polish MiG-29s scrambling to shadow an Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft, ensuring it veered clear of allied airspace without incident.

Sergei Ryabkov condemned the expanded U.S. nuclear presence in Europe and warned against plans to militarize space.

Russia appears to have been deterred by NATO's firm response last month to incursions into Polish and Estonian airspace, but Moscow is expected to continue testing boundaries, the U.S. general serving as NATO's top commander said on Tuesday.

Authorities said the balloons are likely for smuggling, but blamed Belarus' leader, Alexander Lukashenko, for letting them float over.

NATO forces shot down a suspicious drone hovering around US military barracks in Estonia, it’s emerged. The facility – Camp Reedo – is less than 30 miles from the Russian