Secretary General Rutte: NATO has overtaken Russia in ammunition production

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the Alliance countries have now surpassed Russia in the pace of ammunition production.

He said this during a speech at the NATO forum in Bucharest.

"Until recently, Russia produced more ammunition than all NATO allies combined. But that is no longer the case. Across the Alliance, we are opening dozens of new production lines and expanding existing ones. We are doing more than we have done in decades," Rutte stressed.

He added that NATO needs to build on this progress in other areas — “from high-quality air defense to low-cost interceptor drones”.

Rutte called on the heads of defense companies in the Alliance countries to prepare for a significant increase in production and promised to facilitate the conclusion of long-term contracts with governments.

"For my part, I will do everything possible to ensure that governments keep their promises and sign contracts. NATO will accelerate procurement and continue to support innovation," Rutte said.

• In June, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance needed to spend and produce more or it would be at risk. He said Russia produced as much ammunition in three months as NATO does in a year, even though the Allianceʼs economy is 25 times larger than Russiaʼs.

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