NATO in April 2026: the most important developments in security
In April 2026 the main security question for NATO was what role the alliance should play in the Strait of Hormuz. On 8 April NATO was reported to be considering a naval mission there. On 9 April Donald Trump said allies had days to send warships to reopen the strait and weighed pulling some US troops from Europe, while NATO's chief signalled that allies might act and warned of an "unhealthy codependence" on the US. Reports on 10 April said NATO was split over US access to European bases in the event of a war with Iran. On 13 April allies refused to join the blockade of the strait proposed by Trump. On 21 April Norway's foreign minister said the appetite among NATO members to join a war with Iran remained very limited.
The second theme was Russia. Moscow said on 8 April that NATO was building up forces near Kaliningrad and vowed to defend the region, and on 18 April it claimed a buildup in the Arctic. The UK and Norway launched an operation on 9 April to hunt Russian submarines near undersea cables. Sweden warned on 16 April that Russia could seize a Baltic island to test the alliance, and on 21 April reports said Russia had deployed nuclear bombers near NATO's borders and could challenge the alliance in the Baltic Sea. Drone incidents were reported in the Baltic states, Finland and Romania.
The third theme was Europe's own defence. NATO allies pledged $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine for 2026 on 16 April. The EU defence commissioner proposed a European army, Belgium's defence chief said the EU must be ready to fight Russia without US support by 2030, and reports on 24 April described European nations exploring defence arrangements outside NATO. NATO said Europe and Canada spent 20% more on defence in 2025, while the Czech Republic was reported on 27 April to have missed its spending commitments.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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