NATO chief calls for rapid arms production boost 'on both sides of the Atlantic'
Photo: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Arms production must be increased on both sides of the Atlantic, and more funds need to be allocated for this purpose, states NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, according to Reuters.
In an interview with Welt am Sonntag, Rutte stated that NATO members need to spend more on ensuring their own security.
"But we also need to quickly ramp up our defence production on both sides of the Atlantic... for far too long, we have produced far too little," he said.
According to Rutte, there is a need to ramp up the production of ammunition, ships, tanks, aircraft, as well as satellites and drones.
The Secretary General also mentioned that he had met with several defense company leaders and urged them to respond to the increased demand.
Europe's rearmament plan
It should be noted that the European Commission presented the ReArm Europe plan, which was approved by EU leaders at the summit on March 6. As part of the initiative, they plan to mobilize 800 billion euros, including 150 billion euros in loans for defense purposes.
According to the Financial Times, there were disagreements between France and Germany during the discussions of the plan. Germany wants to involve non-EU countries, while France opposes this.
Additionally, former US President Donald Trump has accused Europe of spending less on defense and support for Ukraine compared to the US.
He has also demanded that NATO allies increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. However, some alliance members have yet to reach the 2.5% target.
