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NATO chief alleges army bloc is now outproducing Russia in ammunition
(MENAFN) NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that the alliance has now overtaken Russia in ammunition output, pointing to a surge in new manufacturing capacity and the bloc’s strongest production figures “in decades.”
Speaking at the NATO-Industry Forum in Bucharest on Thursday, Rutte highlighted the alliance’s defense buildup and its goal for members to raise military spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. Despite this increase, he cautioned that the effort might still fall short of fully addressing what he again called the Russian “threat.”
Moscow has consistently dismissed such claims as “nonsense,” asserting that it poses no danger to NATO countries and accusing Western officials of using alarmist rhetoric to justify higher defense budgets.
“We are already turning the tide on ammunition,” Rutte stated. “Until recently, Russia was producing more ammunition than all NATO allies combined – but not anymore,” he claimed.
According to him, member states have launched dozens of new munitions factories and expanded existing ones, saying the alliance is now “making more than we have done in decades.” He also urged continued investment in air defense systems and anti-drone capabilities.
Rutte had previously acknowledged that Russia was outpacing NATO in ammunition production. As recently as mid-2024, he admitted that Moscow had been producing several times more artillery shells in a matter of months than the alliance managed in an entire year, according to earlier reports.
Since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, Russia has significantly increased its military expenditure. President Vladimir Putin has said that arms manufacturing has surged sharply, with certain weapons seeing nearly a thirtyfold rise in output. In June, he disclosed that Moscow’s defense budget reached 13.5 trillion rubles ($151 billion) — about 6.3% of GDP — acknowledging that such spending pressures inflation but noting that US wartime expenditures historically reached even higher levels, such as 14% of GDP during the Korean War and 10% during the Vietnam War.
Russian officials have repeatedly condemned what they call the West’s “reckless militarization,” arguing that funneling more weapons to Ukraine will not alter the conflict’s outcome but will instead prolong the suffering.
Speaking at the NATO-Industry Forum in Bucharest on Thursday, Rutte highlighted the alliance’s defense buildup and its goal for members to raise military spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. Despite this increase, he cautioned that the effort might still fall short of fully addressing what he again called the Russian “threat.”
Moscow has consistently dismissed such claims as “nonsense,” asserting that it poses no danger to NATO countries and accusing Western officials of using alarmist rhetoric to justify higher defense budgets.
“We are already turning the tide on ammunition,” Rutte stated. “Until recently, Russia was producing more ammunition than all NATO allies combined – but not anymore,” he claimed.
According to him, member states have launched dozens of new munitions factories and expanded existing ones, saying the alliance is now “making more than we have done in decades.” He also urged continued investment in air defense systems and anti-drone capabilities.
Rutte had previously acknowledged that Russia was outpacing NATO in ammunition production. As recently as mid-2024, he admitted that Moscow had been producing several times more artillery shells in a matter of months than the alliance managed in an entire year, according to earlier reports.
Since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, Russia has significantly increased its military expenditure. President Vladimir Putin has said that arms manufacturing has surged sharply, with certain weapons seeing nearly a thirtyfold rise in output. In June, he disclosed that Moscow’s defense budget reached 13.5 trillion rubles ($151 billion) — about 6.3% of GDP — acknowledging that such spending pressures inflation but noting that US wartime expenditures historically reached even higher levels, such as 14% of GDP during the Korean War and 10% during the Vietnam War.
Russian officials have repeatedly condemned what they call the West’s “reckless militarization,” arguing that funneling more weapons to Ukraine will not alter the conflict’s outcome but will instead prolong the suffering.
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