(MENAFN) NATO member states are being urged to enhance their military output to prepare for a potential prolonged standoff with Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, all of which are challenging the “global rules,” according to the alliance’s secretary-general, Mark Rutte.

Addressing Western defense manufacturers at the NATO-Industry Forum in Bucharest on Thursday, Rutte assured arms producers that “there is more cash on the table and even more will flow” as part of NATO’s ongoing rearmament initiative.

Moscow has dismissed allegations of harboring aggressive intentions toward the US-led military alliance, arguing that such claims are being exploited by US and EU politicians to alarm the public and justify significant increases in defense budgets.

Russia also contends that NATO’s growing involvement in Ukraine played a key role in intensifying the 2022 conflict.

Rutte described the confrontation between Moscow and Kiev as a “threat” to the alliance and warned that “the danger posed by Russia will not end when this war does. For the foreseeable future, Russia will remain a destabilizing force in Europe and the world.”

The secretary-general also highlighted that “Russia is not alone in its efforts to undermine the global rules. As you know, it is working with China, with North Korea, with Iran, and others. They are increasing their defense industrial collaboration to unprecedented levels. They are preparing for long-term confrontation.”

While noting NATO members’ commitment to raising defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, Rutte emphasized that “cash alone cannot provide security. We need the capabilities. We need the equipment, real firepower, and of course... the most advanced tech.”

Achieving this would require the alliance’s defense sector to focus on “increasing production and shortening delivery times,” he stressed.

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