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Rutte: NATO Now Outproduces Russia in Ammunition After Years of Lag
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![Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk]( "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the Alliance has now overtaken Russia in ammunition production—a key shift in Europe’s defense balance after years of lagging behind Moscow’s output, Rutte said at the NATO-Industry Forum in Bucharest on November 6.
Speaking to military and industry leaders, Rutte said that “until recently, Russia was producing more ammunition than all NATO Allies put together. But not anymore.” He credited the turnaround to a surge in new production lines across member states and called on defense industries to continue scaling up.
Rutte emphasized that NATO’s strength now depends on close coordination with private manufacturers. “There is no strong defense without a strong defense industry,” he said, urging companies to “step up supply, expand existing production lines, and open new ones.”
He also reaffirmed NATO’s commitment to investing 5 percent of GDP in defense by 2035, a decision made at the Hague Summit earlier this year.
Beyond ammunition, he said, NATO must focus on high-end air defense, drones, cyber capabilities, and innovation through programs like the Defence Innovation Accelerator and NATO’s Innovation Fund.
Rutte warned that Russia remains a “destabilizing force” despite its setbacks in Ukraine and is deepening ties with China, Iran, and North Korea. To counter this, he said, NATO must be prepared for a prolonged confrontation—outproducing and outsmarting its adversaries through speed, creativity, and cooperation.
Previously, it was reported that NATO plans to integrate drones into its forces deployed along the alliance’s eastern flank by mid-2026, a move aimed at strengthening air defense and countering growing threats from Russia, Romanian General Constantin-Adrian Cholponya told Euractiv.
