NATO in February 2026: the most important developments in politics
In February 2026, NATO's political news was led by Ukraine. Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Kyiv in early February and toured a damaged energy facility, saying Russian attacks showed no real interest in peace. Later in the month he announced that the United States would supply Ukraine with weapons worth 15 billion dollars in 2026, and he discussed aid for Ukraine at an alliance meeting in Brussels. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia had been misled by Western promises not to expand NATO, and President Vladimir Putin repeated a demand that the alliance formally guarantee it will not expand eastward.
A second theme was the balance of responsibility between the United States and Europe. The US ambassador to NATO called the European members 'kids', drawing criticism from several capitals, and the US pressed allies on spending. The alliance was moving key command posts to European officers under a plan described as 'NATO 3.0', while the United States would retain authority over key strategic assets. Norway's prime minister accused Donald Trump of lying about NATO. At the Munich Security Conference the German defense minister criticized Trump, and Germany's foreign minister said recent US actions had caused irritation within the alliance. Keir Starmer called for a strong Europe and a renewed NATO.
Third, relations with Russia and among members drew comment. Lavrov said NATO, the EU and the OSCE were fading away. Rutte's remark comparing Russian military progress to a snail drew criticism from some legislators, and Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova mocked it. Greece and Turkey were reported to be moving closer diplomatically, and NATO marked the 74th anniversary of Turkey's membership.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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